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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 116 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 · stock · mouse · cell · stand · can · net · bass

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. tear — to rip
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. can — a tin
  6. bass — low music
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. bass — the fish
  12. net — for catching
  13. cell — in biology
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. cell — a phone
  16. stock — shares
  17. can — to be able to
  18. stand — to bear
  19. net — in sport
  20. stock — goods
  21. can — a tin
  22. net — after costs
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. tear — from crying

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