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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: lean · wind · season · wake · cold · stock · bear · mug

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. lean — thin
  3. cold — not warm
  4. season — of the year
  5. mug — to rob
  6. bear — the animal
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. season — in sport
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. mug — a cup
  13. wind — moving air
  14. mug — a face
  15. bear — the animal
  16. lean — to bend
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wake — a trail
  19. cold — an illness
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. stock — goods
  24. stock — shares

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