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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: cold · lie · pop · wind · cabinet · stock · bore · can

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. can — a tin
  3. pop — to visit
  4. pop — music
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. bore — to drill
  7. wind — moving air
  8. stock — shares
  9. cold — not warm
  10. cold — an illness
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — to recline
  16. stock — goods
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. can — a tin
  19. pop — soda
  20. can — to be able to
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. bore — to tire

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