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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: row · wind · fall · rush · cell · net · stock · key

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. wind — moving air
  3. row — to paddle
  4. cell — in biology
  5. key — the most important part
  6. row — a line
  7. fall — to drop
  8. key — in music
  9. net — for catching
  10. fall — to drop
  11. net — in sport
  12. cell — a phone
  13. key — for a lock
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. stock — shares
  16. stock — goods
  17. wind — moving air
  18. fall — the season
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. net — after costs
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. rush — hurry

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