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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 120 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: wake · spring · lie · rule · stock · content · squash · hide

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. squash — the sport
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. lie — to recline
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. rule — government
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. stock — goods
  12. content — the amount
  13. wake — a trail
  14. spring — a coil
  15. spring — of water
  16. stock — shares
  17. rule — a law
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. spring — the season
  21. squash — to crush
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. content — happy

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