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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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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: season · track · stock · present · calf · stem · march · band

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. stock — shares
  3. band — a music group
  4. march — music
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. present — the time now
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. track — a song
  11. march — the month
  12. march — the month
  13. season — in sport
  14. present — a gift
  15. band — a ring
  16. stock — goods
  17. present — there
  18. stem — to come from
  19. season — of the year
  20. track — to keep track
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. track — a path

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