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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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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: can · stock · spring · sharp · trunk · tear · pass · net

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  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. tear — to rip
  2. tear — from crying
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. net — for catching
  5. pass — a permit
  6. net — after costs
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. stock — shares
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. can — to be able to
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. spring — of water
  14. sharp — clever
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. spring — a coil
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. net — in sport
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. can — a tin
  21. spring — the season
  22. can — a tin
  23. stock — goods
  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