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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: tear · fall · race · wax · stand · stock · pop · shower

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. stock — shares
  3. race — the arms race
  4. tear — from crying
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pop — music
  7. shower — rain
  8. pop — soda
  9. race — a contest
  10. shower — to wash
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. tear — from crying
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. fall — the season
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. fall — to drop
  18. wax — to grow
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. tear — to rip
  21. stand — to bear
  22. fall — to drop
  23. stock — goods
  24. race — humankind

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