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

Word bank: march · wake · stock · stem · can · drill

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. wake — a trail
  3. march — the month
  4. stem — to come from
  5. drill — a practice
  6. can — a tin
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. march — music
  11. drill — the tool
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. march — the month
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. stock — shares
  16. stock — goods
  17. can — a tin
  18. drill — army training

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