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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 · march · row · rest · wind · leaves · mug · cell

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. wind — moving air
  3. stock — shares
  4. row — a line
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. cell — a phone
  8. wind — moving air
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. cell — in biology
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. mug — a cup
  14. row — to paddle
  15. rest — a break
  16. march — the month
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. stock — goods
  20. rest — what's left
  21. march — the month
  22. mug — to rob
  23. march — music
  24. mug — a face

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