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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 116 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: march · wake · cue · fall · mug · tear · content · stock

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. fall — to drop
  3. wake — a trail
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. mug — a cup
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. march — the month
  9. fall — to drop
  10. content — happy
  11. cue — a signal
  12. stock — goods
  13. march — music
  14. march — the month
  15. cue — a hint
  16. tear — from crying
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. mug — a face
  19. fall — the season
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — to rip
  22. stock — shares
  23. content — the amount
  24. mug — to rob

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