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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: wound · root · march · vault · mark · stock · ground · fan

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. ground — the earth
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. ground — a position
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. mark — a grade
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. vault — a safe
  12. wound — an injury
  13. root — of a plant
  14. root — of a word
  15. stock — shares
  16. mark — a trace
  17. stock — goods
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. march — music
  20. wound — an injury
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. ground — crushed
  23. root — the cause
  24. march — the month

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