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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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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: wind · mate · bear · kid · stock · tear · board · cabinet

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. kid — child
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. mate — a friend
  9. kid — to tease
  10. mate — a partner
  11. bear — the animal
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. board — to get on
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. tear — to rip
  16. stock — goods
  17. bear — the animal
  18. board — a committee
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. wind — moving air
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — from crying
  23. mate — to breed
  24. stock — shares

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