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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: sharp · stock · fall · shower · tube · fine · stand · season

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fine — all right
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. shower — rain
  6. fine — high quality
  7. shower — to wash
  8. fall — the season
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. stand — to bear
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. season — of the year
  13. stock — goods
  14. tube — the underground
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. fall — to drop
  18. stock — shares
  19. tube — a container
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. season — in sport
  24. sharp — clever

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