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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: chip · wind · tear · stock · can · mate · rest · temple

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. mate — to breed
  3. tear — from crying
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. can — a tin
  6. wind — moving air
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. tear — from crying
  10. chip — for betting
  11. rest — what's left
  12. wind — moving air
  13. tear — to rip
  14. mate — a friend
  15. rest — what's left
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. stock — goods
  18. can — a tin
  19. mate — a partner
  20. can — to be able to
  21. rest — a break
  22. stock — shares
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. chip — in a computer

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