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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: march · fall · stock · wake · mate · mouse · spring · rash

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. stock — shares
  4. spring — the season
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. mate — a partner
  7. spring — a coil
  8. mate — a friend
  9. march — music
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. march — the month
  12. rash — hasty
  13. march — the month
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. fall — the season
  16. fall — to drop
  17. spring — of water
  18. mate — to breed
  19. stock — goods
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. rash — a series
  24. fall — to drop

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