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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: bear · tear · coach · capital · rock · fork · stock · safe

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. capital — money
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. tear — to rip
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. rock — a stone
  8. capital — a city
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. tear — from crying
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. rock — music
  15. stock — goods
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bear — the animal
  20. stock — shares
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bear — the animal
  24. fork — in a road

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