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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: cold · bear · stand · safe · stock · cap · content · wave

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. bear — the animal
  3. cap — of ice
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. cold — an illness
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. stock — shares
  10. cap — a lid
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. stand — to bear
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. stock — goods
  15. content — the amount
  16. content — happy
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. cold — not warm
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. cap — a hat
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. bear — the animal

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