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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: mine · date · firm · sharp · wave · stock · cell · roll

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. mine — for digging
  4. cell — in biology
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. firm — a company
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. roll — a cake
  10. firm — steady
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. sharp — clever
  16. cell — a phone
  17. roll — a list
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. date — the fruit
  21. stock — goods
  22. stock — shares
  23. firm — decided
  24. mine — belonging to me

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