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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 120 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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. march — music
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. march — the month
  6. current — happening now
  7. stock — goods
  8. mine — for digging
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. current — electric
  12. drill — army training
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. stock — shares
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. drill — the tool
  17. wake — a trail
  18. foot — a measure
  19. drill — a practice
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. current — of water
  23. march — the month
  24. mine — an explosive

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