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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: stock · mouse · tear · pound · fall · march · toast · calf

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. toast — bread
  4. fall — the season
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. march — the month
  9. stock — goods
  10. tear — from crying
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. stock — shares
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. march — the month
  17. fall — to drop
  18. pound — a weight
  19. march — music
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. fall — to drop
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. tear — to rip
  24. mouse — the animal

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