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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: tear · stock · lash · coach · deal · rule

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. tear — from crying
  4. deal — to handle
  5. tear — to rip
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. stock — shares
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. rule — government
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. rule — a law
  14. stock — goods
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. tear — from crying
  18. lash — to lash out

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