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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: temple · rash · tear · stock · field · lean · present · spell

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. present — a gift
  3. stock — shares
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. lean — to bend
  6. spell — a short time
  7. spell — magic
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. lean — thin
  10. present — there
  11. field — for sport
  12. rash — a series
  13. tear — to rip
  14. tear — from crying
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. stock — goods
  17. field — farmland
  18. present — the time now
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. rash — hasty
  21. spell — letters
  22. field — a subject
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. rash — on the skin

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