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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: mark · mate · stock · stand · lean · cold · object · tear

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. object — an aim
  3. mark — a grade
  4. object — to protest
  5. mate — a partner
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. stand — to bear
  8. cold — not warm
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. tear — from crying
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. mate — to breed
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. tear — to rip
  16. cold — an illness
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. object — a thing
  19. mate — a friend
  20. lean — to bend
  21. mark — a trace
  22. tear — from crying
  23. stock — goods
  24. lean — thin

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