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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — from crying
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. swing — in golf
  7. stock — shares
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. branch — a division
  10. tear — to rip
  11. sharp — clever
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. swing — music
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. swing — to play on
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. foot — a measure
  23. stock — goods
  24. racket — for tennis

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