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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: land · wake · mine · stand · rest · hide · file · stock

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. mine — for digging
  6. file — a tool
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. land — ground
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. rest — a break
  12. stock — goods
  13. wake — a trail
  14. file — a document
  15. stock — shares
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. land — a country
  19. file — a line of people
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. land — to come down
  22. rest — what's left
  23. stand — to bear
  24. hide — to keep secret

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