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

Word bank: straw · bass · tear · dip · march · can · stock · mark

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bass — the fish
  3. can — a tin
  4. stock — shares
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. tear — from crying
  7. dip — to sink
  8. march — the month
  9. mark — a trace
  10. tear — to rip
  11. tear — from crying
  12. can — a tin
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. can — to be able to
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. mark — a grade
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. stock — goods
  22. march — music
  23. bass — low music
  24. straw — dry grass

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