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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: content · tear · spell · firm · root · fall · object · stock

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. fall — the season
  3. root — of a plant
  4. stock — goods
  5. content — happy
  6. firm — steady
  7. spell — letters
  8. content — the amount
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. spell — magic
  11. firm — a company
  12. tear — to rip
  13. tear — from crying
  14. object — a thing
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. root — of a word
  17. fall — to drop
  18. firm — decided
  19. spell — a short time
  20. object — to protest
  21. object — an aim
  22. stock — shares
  23. fall — to drop
  24. root — the cause

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