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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: wake · clip · stand · stock · mug · saw · cap · fall

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. mug — a cup
  4. stock — shares
  5. fall — to drop
  6. cap — a lid
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. stand — to bear
  9. clip — for paper
  10. stock — goods
  11. fall — to drop
  12. cap — a hat
  13. mug — a face
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. saw — the tool
  16. clip — to cut
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. clip — a video
  21. mug — to rob
  22. wake — a trail
  23. fall — the season
  24. cap — of ice

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