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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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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: shower · deal · stock · cue · stick · spring · fall · wave

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. shower — rain
  3. cue — a hint
  4. fall — to drop
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stock — goods
  7. shower — to wash
  8. fall — the season
  9. spring — the season
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. cue — a signal
  12. spring — of water
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. cue — for pool
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. spring — a coil
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. fall — to drop
  19. stock — shares
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. deal — an agreement

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