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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 116 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: wave · hide · row · lie · stock · fall · squash · stand

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. stand — to bear
  3. fall — to drop
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. fall — to drop
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. squash — the sport
  9. squash — to crush
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. fall — the season
  13. row — to paddle
  14. stock — shares
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. stock — goods
  17. lie — to recline
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. row — a line
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. stock — a soup base

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