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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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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 · stock · pound · stand · cell · fall · rock · lean

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. rock — music
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. fall — to drop
  5. cell — in biology
  6. lean — to bend
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. pound — a weight
  9. tear — from crying
  10. fall — to drop
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. lean — thin
  13. stand — to bear
  14. cell — a phone
  15. tear — to rip
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. fall — the season
  18. stock — goods
  19. tear — from crying
  20. rock — a stone
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. stock — shares
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. stand — for spectators

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