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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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Word bank
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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: stock · bass · tear · rash · capital · fine · lean · rest

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. capital — a city
  3. stock — goods
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. stock — shares
  6. rest — what's left
  7. fine — high quality
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. tear — to rip
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — from crying
  12. rest — a break
  13. lean — to bend
  14. bass — low music
  15. rash — a series
  16. capital — money
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. bass — the fish
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. rest — what's left
  22. fine — all right
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. rash — hasty

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