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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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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 · stock · land · fall · game · spring · stand · board

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. land — a country
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. fall — the season
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. game — a match
  8. stock — shares
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. spring — of water
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. board — a committee
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. land — ground
  15. fall — to drop
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. stock — goods
  18. spring — a coil
  19. land — to come down
  20. fall — to drop
  21. board — to get on
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. spring — the season
  24. stand — to bear

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