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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 120 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
468
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: ruler · tear · stock · fan · mark · wound · court · leaves

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  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. fan — to cool the air
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. tear — from crying
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — to rip
  7. wound — an injury
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. court — of law
  10. court — for sport
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. mark — a grade
  17. court — of a king
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. wound — an injury
  20. stock — shares
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. mark — a trace
  23. leaves — lets stay
  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