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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. file — a tool
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. stock — goods
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. stock — shares
  7. file — a document
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. bear — the animal
  10. file — a line of people
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. spell — letters
  13. craft — a skill
  14. craft — boats
  15. wake — a trail
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. spell — a short time
  18. spell — magic
  19. stand — to bear
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. bear — the animal
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. stand — for spectators

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