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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: tear · suit · ruler · cold · stock · pound · vault · scale

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. suit — in cards
  3. vault — a safe
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. tear — from crying
  7. suit — clothes
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. stock — goods
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. scale — in music
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. suit — to fit
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. stock — shares
  19. cold — an illness
  20. tear — to rip
  21. scale — size or range
  22. pound — a weight
  23. tear — from crying
  24. ruler — for measuring

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