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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: wound · cabinet · tear · bay · stock · chair · pound · tube

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. stock — goods
  3. wound — an injury
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. tube — a container
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. tear — to rip
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. tear — from crying
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. tear — from crying
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. tube — the underground
  20. pound — a weight
  21. wound — an injury
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. stock — shares
  24. chair — a leader

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