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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. lean — to bend
  3. drill — the tool
  4. band — a music group
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. drill — a practice
  7. tear — from crying
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. rock — a stone
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. stock — goods
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. cell — in biology
  14. lean — thin
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — to rip
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. drill — army training
  22. band — a ring
  23. cell — a phone
  24. rock — 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