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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 · squash · firm · season · fall · stock · date · mine

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. firm — steady
  3. season — of the year
  4. fall — to drop
  5. squash — to crush
  6. fall — the season
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. season — in sport
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. firm — a company
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. squash — the sport
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. stock — goods
  18. stock — shares
  19. fall — to drop
  20. firm — decided
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. mine — for digging
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. date — on the calendar

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