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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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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 · content · stand · stock · cue · march · rule · branch

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. content — the amount
  3. cue — a signal
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. cue — for pool
  9. march — the month
  10. branch — a division
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. rule — a law
  13. cue — a hint
  14. season — in sport
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. stand — to bear
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. march — music
  19. rule — government
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. content — happy
  22. stock — goods
  23. march — the month
  24. stock — shares

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