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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: hand · capital · pass · chest · mark · tear · staff · stock

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. staff — employees
  5. pass — a permit
  6. chest — a box
  7. tear — from crying
  8. staff — employees
  9. mark — a trace
  10. mark — a grade
  11. hand — help
  12. hand — in cards
  13. tear — to rip
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. capital — a city
  16. chest — of your body
  17. capital — money
  18. staff — a stick
  19. chest — of your body
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. stock — shares
  24. stock — goods

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