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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.

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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 · row · rock · can · suit · stock · kid · march

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. suit — in cards
  3. stock — shares
  4. stem — to come from
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. can — to be able to
  7. rock — music
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. march — the month
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. row — to paddle
  12. march — the month
  13. rock — a stone
  14. can — a tin
  15. march — music
  16. kid — child
  17. suit — clothes
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. row — a line
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. kid — to tease
  22. suit — to fit
  23. stock — goods
  24. stem — of a plant

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