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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: spring · wave · cold · object · stand · pass · fan · stock

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. pass — a permit
  5. stand — to bear
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. spring — of water
  9. object — to protest
  10. stock — goods
  11. object — an aim
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. stock — shares
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. spring — the season
  16. cold — an illness
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. spring — a coil
  20. object — a thing
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. cold — not warm
  24. stand — for spectators

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