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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: cap · stem · wave · drill · court · stock · bore · march

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  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. stem — of a plant
  2. drill — the tool
  3. stock — shares
  4. drill — a practice
  5. cap — a lid
  6. march — music
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. court — of law
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. stock — goods
  11. court — for sport
  12. march — the month
  13. cap — of ice
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. stem — to come from
  16. drill — army training
  17. bore — to drill
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. bore — to tire
  20. cap — a hat
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. court — of a king
  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