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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 · tear · bear · sharp · lie · cabinet · pass · field

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. tear — from crying
  4. field — for sport
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. sharp — clever
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bear — the animal
  10. lie — to recline
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. bear — the animal
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stock — goods
  16. field — farmland
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. tear — from crying
  21. stock — shares
  22. field — a subject
  23. tear — to rip
  24. pass — to succeed

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