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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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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: squash · rule · wave · wake · cell · stock · stick · object

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. stock — goods
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. object — to protest
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. squash — to crush
  8. squash — the sport
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. stock — shares
  12. wake — a trail
  13. rule — government
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. object — a thing
  16. object — an aim
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. rule — a law
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. cell — in biology
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. wake — before a funeral

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