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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: season · toast · tear · shower · stock · straw · bulb · sharp

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. stock — shares
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. stock — goods
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. bulb — for light
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — from crying
  11. season — of the year
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. tear — to rip
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. toast — bread
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. season — in sport
  20. bulb — for light
  21. shower — rain
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. shower — to wash
  24. sharp — clever

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