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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: fork · arm · march · hand · stand · stock · wound · leaves

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. stock — goods
  3. march — the month
  4. fork — in a road
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. stand — to bear
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. wound — an injury
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. wound — an injury
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. hand — in cards
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. stock — shares
  20. hand — help
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. march — music
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. leaves — to go away

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