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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 · stock · fan · snap · branch · content · calf · bore

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. march — the month
  5. bore — to tire
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. bore — to drill
  10. content — happy
  11. march — the month
  12. stock — goods
  13. march — music
  14. branch — a division
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. content — the amount
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. snap — to click
  24. fan — to cool the air

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