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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — the month
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. wind — moving air
  5. stock — shares
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. march — music
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. stem — to come from
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. bark — to shout
  15. pop — to visit
  16. pop — soda
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. wind — moving air
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. pop — music
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. stock — goods

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