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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: hide · stock · tear · march · present · fall · squash · pass

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. march — the month
  5. pass — a permit
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. fall — to drop
  9. stock — goods
  10. march — the month
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. tear — from crying
  13. fall — the season
  14. tear — from crying
  15. present — a gift
  16. squash — to crush
  17. stock — shares
  18. tear — to rip
  19. present — the time now
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. squash — the sport
  22. present — there
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. march — 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