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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: cue · jam · saw · stock · fall · season · leaves · bass

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. stock — goods
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. fall — to drop
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. stock — shares
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. season — of the year
  10. bass — the fish
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. fall — to drop
  13. bass — low music
  14. season — in sport
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. fall — the season
  18. cue — for pool
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. cue — a hint
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. season — to add flavour

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