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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 116 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: mark · pit · drill · stock · spring · scale · march · wake

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. mark — a trace
  5. stock — shares
  6. scale — size or range
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. pit — in a race
  9. spring — a coil
  10. drill — a practice
  11. drill — army training
  12. wake — a trail
  13. spring — the season
  14. march — music
  15. mark — a grade
  16. march — the month
  17. scale — in music
  18. march — the month
  19. drill — the tool
  20. spring — of water
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. stock — goods
  24. wake — before a funeral

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