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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. stock — shares
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. fall — to drop
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. wound — an injury
  7. club — a group
  8. club — for golf
  9. club — for dancing
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. fall — to drop
  13. date — the fruit
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. object — to protest
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. wound — an injury
  18. stem — to come from
  19. stock — goods
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. wake — a trail
  22. fall — the season
  23. object — an aim
  24. date — on the calendar

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