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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. wound — an injury
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. fork — in a road
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. stock — shares
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bass — the fish
  16. season — in sport
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. season — of the year
  20. tear — to rip
  21. tear — from crying
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. toast — bread
  24. bass — low music

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