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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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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: stock · calf · wake · field · lie · fall · net · rule

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. wake — a trail
  4. fall — to drop
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. field — farmland
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. fall — the season
  10. field — a subject
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. stock — goods
  13. stock — shares
  14. fall — to drop
  15. rule — a law
  16. field — for sport
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. net — in sport
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. rule — government
  23. net — after costs
  24. net — for catching

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