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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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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: tear · bound · fall · firm · rash · cue · stock · season

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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. fall — to drop
  4. rash — a series
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. firm — a company
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bound — obliged
  9. cue — for pool
  10. fall — to drop
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — to rip
  13. stock — shares
  14. season — of the year
  15. fall — the season
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. cue — a hint
  18. season — in sport
  19. bound — certain
  20. firm — steady
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. firm — decided
  23. rash — hasty
  24. bound — tied together

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