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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 120 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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. stock — goods
  4. stock — shares
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. tear — from crying
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. prune — to trim
  13. game — a match
  14. club — for golf
  15. prune — to trim
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. game — wild animals
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. tear — from crying
  21. club — for dancing
  22. club — a group
  23. pound — a weight
  24. pound — to hit hard

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