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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: club · lie · content · squash · stock · fall · stem · bound

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. squash — to crush
  3. club — for golf
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. lie — to recline
  6. club — for dancing
  7. stem — to come from
  8. fall — to drop
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. bound — certain
  13. stock — goods
  14. squash — the sport
  15. fall — the season
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. stock — shares
  18. club — a group
  19. bound — obliged
  20. fall — to drop
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. content — happy
  24. content — the amount

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