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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: mine · last · cue · pop · wake · stock · file · land

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. cue — for pool
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. pop — soda
  6. mine — for digging
  7. stock — shares
  8. file — a line of people
  9. cue — a signal
  10. land — to come down
  11. last — to go on
  12. cue — a hint
  13. file — a document
  14. pop — music
  15. file — a tool
  16. wake — a trail
  17. last — final
  18. stock — goods
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. last — finally
  21. pop — to visit
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. land — ground
  24. land — a country

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