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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.

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: bowl · bear · tear · scale · lie · leaves · cold · stock

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. scale — in music
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. tear — from crying
  6. lie — to recline
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. cold — an illness
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. tear — from crying
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. bear — the animal
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. bear — the animal
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. stock — shares
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. scale — size or range
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. stock — goods
  24. cold — not warm

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