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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 120 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. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bound — obliged
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. stock — shares
  7. lean — to bend
  8. lean — thin
  9. craft — boats
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — to rip
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. craft — a skill
  20. stand — to bear
  21. bound — certain
  22. plane — a tool
  23. wound — an injury
  24. lean — to rest against

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