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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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Word bank
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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 · fork · chip · stock · stem · kick

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. march — the month
  3. kick — in football
  4. fork — in a road
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. stem — to come from
  8. march — music
  9. stock — goods
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. chip — to eat
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. stock — shares
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. chip — for betting
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. march — the month
  18. fork — to eat with

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