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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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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: march · cell · stock · wake · board · stand · mark · ground

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. march — the month
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. mark — a grade
  6. stock — shares
  7. ground — crushed
  8. ground — the earth
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. cell — in biology
  11. wake — a trail
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. board — to get on
  17. cell — a phone
  18. board — a committee
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. stock — goods
  21. march — music
  22. ground — a position
  23. mark — a trace
  24. march — the month

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