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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: stock · firm · object · cold · stand · trunk · saw · march

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. march — the month
  3. object — to protest
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. firm — decided
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. stand — to bear
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. object — a thing
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cold — not warm
  16. firm — steady
  17. march — the month
  18. stock — goods
  19. saw — the tool
  20. firm — a company
  21. saw — the tool
  22. stock — shares
  23. object — an aim
  24. stand — on your feet

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