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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: stem · march · scale · bay · ground · stock · row · wind

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. ground — a position
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. march — the month
  6. scale — in music
  7. scale — size or range
  8. march — the month
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. stock — shares
  13. wind — moving air
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. ground — crushed
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. row — a line
  20. ground — the earth
  21. march — music
  22. wind — moving air
  23. stock — goods
  24. stem — to come from

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