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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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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: cold · can · lie · staff · wake · mine · stand · stock

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. mine — for digging
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. staff — employees
  5. wake — a trail
  6. staff — a stick
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. cold — an illness
  9. stock — goods
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. lie — to recline
  13. can — a tin
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. staff — employees
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. stand — to bear
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. cold — not warm
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. can — to be able to
  23. can — a tin
  24. stock — shares

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