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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: spell · wave · stock · saw · straw · temple · bay · tear

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. tear — from crying
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. spell — magic
  8. spell — a short time
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. spell — letters
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. tear — to rip
  21. stock — shares
  22. saw — the tool
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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