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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: wave · rest · season · mark · lie · spell · stock · hand

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. season — of the year
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. spell — magic
  5. rest — what's left
  6. lie — to recline
  7. mark — a trace
  8. rest — what's left
  9. mark — a grade
  10. rest — a break
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. hand — help
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. season — in sport
  18. hand — in cards
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. spell — a short time
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. spell — letters
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. stock — goods

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