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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: stock · saw · tear · cabinet · mark · date · cell · pitcher

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. stock — shares
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. cell — in biology
  6. stock — goods
  7. saw — the tool
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — the fruit
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. mark — a trace
  16. tear — to rip
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. cell — a phone
  20. tear — from crying
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. mark — a grade
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  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