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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: land · spell · stock · last · fan · tear · lie · key

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. land — a country
  3. spell — letters
  4. spell — a short time
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. key — the most important part
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. tear — to rip
  10. key — for a lock
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. last — finally
  13. key — in music
  14. tear — from crying
  15. last — final
  16. spell — magic
  17. stock — shares
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. tear — from crying
  20. land — ground
  21. lie — to recline
  22. land — to come down
  23. last — to go on
  24. lie — an untruth

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