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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: tear · march · stand · can · cap · dip · stock · fall

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — to rip
  4. can — to be able to
  5. dip — to sink
  6. cap — a lid
  7. stock — shares
  8. march — music
  9. cap — of ice
  10. tear — from crying
  11. can — a tin
  12. march — the month
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. stand — to bear
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. can — a tin
  17. cap — a hat
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — the season
  21. stock — goods
  22. march — the month
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. fall — to drop

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