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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stock · fork · chest · bear · hand · dip · bore · march

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. fork — in a road
  4. chest — of your body
  5. march — the month
  6. stock — shares
  7. stock — goods
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. march — music
  10. hand — in cards
  11. dip — to sink
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — the animal
  14. hand — help
  15. bore — to tire
  16. chest — of your body
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. chest — a box
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. bore — to drill
  24. hand — part of the body

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