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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. rash — hasty
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. stock — goods
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. tear — from crying
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rash — a series
  11. rush — hurry
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. tear — to rip
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. mark — a grade
  17. branch — a division
  18. mark — a trace
  19. tear — from crying
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. stock — shares
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. mark — to pay attention

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