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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: tear · wave · swing · deal · stock · tube · chest · rush

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. deal — to handle
  8. tube — the underground
  9. tear — from crying
  10. swing — to play on
  11. stock — shares
  12. rush — hurry
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. swing — music
  16. tube — a container
  17. chest — of your body
  18. swing — in golf
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. tear — to rip
  22. tear — from crying
  23. stock — goods
  24. chest — of your body

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