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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: cell · bear · wind · lean · stock · stick · present · last

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. stock — goods
  3. bear — the animal
  4. last — final
  5. last — to go on
  6. last — finally
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. lean — thin
  11. stock — shares
  12. present — the time now
  13. present — a gift
  14. cell — a phone
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. wind — moving air
  18. lean — to bend
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. present — there
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bear — the animal
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. stock — a soup base

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