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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. stem — to come from
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. stock — shares
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. march — the month
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. march — the month
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. bark — to shout
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. mark — a grade
  20. mark — a trace
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. pass — a permit
  23. march — music
  24. straw — dry grass

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