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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: stand · hand · cell · snap · wake · mug · stock · fall

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. stand — to bear
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. hand — in cards
  5. cell — a phone
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. stock — goods
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. fall — the season
  11. snap — to click
  12. mug — to rob
  13. fall — to drop
  14. mug — a cup
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. mug — a face
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. fall — to drop
  20. wake — a trail
  21. hand — help
  22. cell — in biology
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. cell — in a prison

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