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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: file · mark · stock · tear · fan · lean · wake · cell

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. cell — in biology
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. file — a line of people
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. file — a tool
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. tear — from crying
  9. lean — to bend
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. stock — shares
  13. lean — thin
  14. mark — a grade
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. file — a document
  17. tear — to rip
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. tear — from crying
  20. cell — a phone
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. mark — a trace
  23. wake — a trail
  24. wake — before a funeral

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