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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: stock · season · tear · chip · row · board · tube · spell

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. season — in sport
  5. row — to paddle
  6. board — a committee
  7. tear — to rip
  8. chip — for betting
  9. spell — a short time
  10. chip — to eat
  11. spell — magic
  12. season — of the year
  13. stock — shares
  14. stock — goods
  15. spell — letters
  16. tear — from crying
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. tear — from crying
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. board — to get on
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. row — a line
  23. tube — the underground
  24. tube — a container

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