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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. spell — letters
  4. spell — a short time
  5. lean — thin
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. wind — moving air
  8. stock — shares
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. spell — magic
  11. lean — to bend
  12. saw — the tool
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. saw — the tool
  15. tear — to rip
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. dip — to sink
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. wind — moving air
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. tear — from crying
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. stock — goods
  24. ruler — for measuring

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