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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 · fork · spell · bound · sharp · toast · tear · snap

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. toast — bread
  3. bound — certain
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bound — tied together
  7. spell — magic
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. fork — in a road
  12. tear — to rip
  13. tear — from crying
  14. stock — goods
  15. sharp — clever
  16. tear — from crying
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. stock — shares
  19. spell — letters
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. snap — to click

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