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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: dip · stock · tear · mug · row · tube · rash · firm

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. rash — hasty
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. tear — from crying
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. firm — steady
  7. mug — a face
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. mug — a cup
  11. tube — a container
  12. tear — to rip
  13. tube — the underground
  14. firm — a company
  15. tear — from crying
  16. row — a line
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. dip — to sink
  19. stock — shares
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. row — to paddle
  22. stock — goods
  23. firm — decided
  24. mug — to rob

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