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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: stock · tear · land · bass · bear · mouse · row · rush

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. row — a line
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bear — the animal
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bass — the fish
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. tear — to rip
  12. tear — from crying
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. bass — low music
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. stock — goods
  18. land — to come down
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. land — a country
  21. row — to paddle
  22. rush — hurry
  23. land — ground
  24. rush — a thrill

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