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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 116 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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. field — farmland
  3. capital — money
  4. bore — to drill
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. stock — shares
  8. spring — a coil
  9. spring — of water
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. spring — the season
  14. bore — to tire
  15. field — a subject
  16. tear — from crying
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. tear — to rip
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. tear — from crying
  21. field — for sport
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. capital — a city
  24. lie — to recline

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