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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: march · pop · wave · fall · straw · squash · stock · fork

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. fall — to drop
  3. march — the month
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. squash — the sport
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. pop — music
  8. march — the month
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. stock — shares
  11. fork — in a road
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. squash — to crush
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. march — music
  18. fall — to drop
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. pop — to visit
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. pop — soda
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. stock — goods

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