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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. spell — magic
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. drill — a practice
  6. net — after costs
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. spell — a short time
  9. tear — to rip
  10. drill — army training
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. lean — to bend
  13. rest — a break
  14. tear — from crying
  15. rest — what's left
  16. stock — shares
  17. tear — from crying
  18. lean — thin
  19. rest — what's left
  20. net — for catching
  21. net — in sport
  22. drill — the tool
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. stock — goods

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com