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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: spell · tear · sharp · stock · bore · mine · net · stick

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. spell — letters
  7. tear — from crying
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. bore — to tire
  11. spell — magic
  12. tear — to rip
  13. spell — a short time
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. sharp — clever
  16. bore — to drill
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. stock — goods
  19. stock — shares
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. net — for catching
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. net — after costs
  24. net — in sport

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