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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: stock · tube · rule · mine · march · foot · cabinet · lean

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. march — music
  3. lean — thin
  4. stock — goods
  5. lean — to bend
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. rule — government
  8. rule — a law
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. mine — for digging
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. march — the month
  14. stock — shares
  15. tube — the underground
  16. tube — a container
  17. march — the month
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. lean — to rest against

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