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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 120 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: bear · drill · craft · cold · row · pass · cue · stock

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. drill — army training
  3. drill — a practice
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. stock — goods
  6. stock — shares
  7. cue — a signal
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. row — to paddle
  10. craft — a skill
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. craft — boats
  13. drill — the tool
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. cold — not warm
  16. cue — for pool
  17. bear — the animal
  18. cold — an illness
  19. pass — a permit
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. row — a line
  22. cue — a hint
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. pass — to spend time

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