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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 116 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: march · wake · stock · stem · can · drill · ground · object

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. wake — a trail
  3. march — the month
  4. ground — crushed
  5. stock — goods
  6. march — the month
  7. object — a thing
  8. ground — a position
  9. drill — the tool
  10. ground — the earth
  11. object — to protest
  12. drill — a practice
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — to be able to
  15. stock — shares
  16. march — music
  17. can — a tin
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. stem — to come from
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. drill — army training
  24. object — an aim

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