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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: wake · wind · chair · pit · tear · pop · bear · stock

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. stock — shares
  3. pop — music
  4. wind — moving air
  5. chair — a leader
  6. pit — a hole
  7. bear — the animal
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. pop — soda
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. wind — moving air
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. tear — to rip
  15. pop — to visit
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. stock — goods
  18. tear — from crying
  19. pit — in a race
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. bear — the animal
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. tear — from crying
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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