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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 · can · lash · swing · fork · face · tear · bound

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. can — a tin
  3. bound — tied together
  4. tear — from crying
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. stock — goods
  7. stock — shares
  8. swing — music
  9. tear — from crying
  10. swing — to play on
  11. swing — in golf
  12. tear — to rip
  13. face — to point toward
  14. face — part of the head
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. can — to be able to
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. fork — in a road
  19. face — to confront
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. bound — obliged
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. bound — certain

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