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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: cold · cabinet · spell · stock · lean · row · firm · pass

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. firm — a company
  4. cold — not warm
  5. spell — magic
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. pass — a permit
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. spell — letters
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. row — a line
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. firm — decided
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. spell — a short time
  19. stock — goods
  20. row — to paddle
  21. lean — to bend
  22. lean — thin
  23. stock — shares
  24. firm — steady

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