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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. club — a group
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. tear — from crying
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. fine — high quality
  10. club — for dancing
  11. fine — all right
  12. stock — shares
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. band — a music group
  15. tear — to rip
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. club — for golf
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. tear — from crying
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. perch — the fish
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. band — a ring
  24. deal — to handle

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