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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 116 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: spring · stock · mug · bear · lie · tear · wake · squash

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. tear — to rip
  4. spring — the season
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. wake — a trail
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. tear — from crying
  9. stock — shares
  10. squash — the sport
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. mug — a face
  14. squash — to crush
  15. lie — to recline
  16. stock — goods
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. mug — a cup
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. bear — the animal
  21. spring — of water
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. spring — a coil
  24. tear — from crying

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