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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 · bound · tear · chest · rest · dip · suit · fall

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. suit — clothes
  4. stock — goods
  5. fall — to drop
  6. chest — of your body
  7. dip — to sink
  8. chest — of your body
  9. bound — obliged
  10. rest — a break
  11. suit — to fit
  12. rest — what's left
  13. tear — to rip
  14. tear — from crying
  15. chest — a box
  16. bound — tied together
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. stock — shares
  20. tear — from crying
  21. fall — the season
  22. rest — what's left
  23. bound — certain
  24. suit — in cards

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