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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: bore · stand · march · cold · bark · dip · stock · ruler

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. dip — to sink
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. march — the month
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. stand — to bear
  8. bark — to shout
  9. cold — an illness
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. bore — to drill
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. stock — goods
  14. march — the month
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bore — to tire
  17. stock — shares
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. march — music
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. ruler — for measuring

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