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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. file — a line of people
  4. stock — shares
  5. shower — to wash
  6. tear — to rip
  7. file — a tool
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. tear — from crying
  10. file — a document
  11. rash — a series
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. lean — thin
  15. lean — to bend
  16. shower — rain
  17. rash — hasty
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bass — low music
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. stock — goods

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