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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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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: last · cell · face · stand · fall · stock · wound · wind

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. stock — goods
  3. stock — shares
  4. fall — to drop
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. last — final
  7. wound — an injury
  8. cell — in biology
  9. wind — moving air
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. last — finally
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. face — to confront
  15. wind — moving air
  16. face — part of the head
  17. cell — a phone
  18. fall — the season
  19. face — to point toward
  20. fall — to drop
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. last — to go on
  23. stand — to bear
  24. wound — an injury

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