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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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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 · row · wind · cell · mine · wave

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. wind — moving air
  3. cell — in biology
  4. wind — moving air
  5. mine — for digging
  6. row — to paddle
  7. stock — goods
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. cell — a phone
  13. row — a line
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. stock — shares
  18. wave — with your hand

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