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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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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: mark · march · bear · shower · stem · hand · firm · stock

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. firm — steady
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. shower — rain
  6. march — the month
  7. stock — goods
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. stem — to come from
  10. mark — a trace
  11. stock — shares
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. hand — help
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. mark — a grade
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — the animal
  19. march — the month
  20. shower — to wash
  21. hand — in cards
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. firm — decided
  24. march — music

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