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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 cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. wake — a trail
  3. press — a publisher
  4. tear — from crying
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. stock — goods
  7. press — to push
  8. rash — a series
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. mine — for digging
  11. bass — the fish
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. tear — to rip
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. bass — low music
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. rash — hasty
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. press — newspapers
  22. stock — shares
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. mine — belonging to me

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