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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: stand · nail · march · spring · band · stock · current · file

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. current — happening now
  6. current — electric
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. file — a tool
  9. spring — the season
  10. stand — to bear
  11. spring — of water
  12. stock — shares
  13. current — of water
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. file — a line of people
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. march — the month
  18. spring — a coil
  19. band — a ring
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. stock — goods
  22. march — music
  23. band — a music group
  24. file — a document

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