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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: bear · stock · firm · lie · chest · squash · rock · last

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. firm — steady
  3. chest — of your body
  4. stock — goods
  5. last — final
  6. stock — shares
  7. last — to go on
  8. last — finally
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. firm — decided
  13. bear — the animal
  14. squash — the sport
  15. squash — to crush
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. chest — of your body
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. bear — the animal
  20. firm — a company
  21. chest — a box
  22. rock — a stone
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. rock — music

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