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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. tear — to rip
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. spell — magic
  7. rash — hasty
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. tear — from crying
  10. rash — a series
  11. spell — letters
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. stock — shares
  16. stock — goods
  17. tear — from crying
  18. perch — the fish
  19. spell — a short time
  20. chair — a leader
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. chair — to sit on

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