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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: stock · charge · mark · wind · kid · march · plane · drill

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. kid — to tease
  3. drill — the tool
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. wind — moving air
  6. march — the month
  7. charge — in control
  8. charge — a price
  9. stock — shares
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. plane — a tool
  12. wind — moving air
  13. kid — child
  14. march — music
  15. mark — a grade
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. drill — army training
  18. charge — electricity
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. march — the month
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. stock — goods
  23. mark — a trace
  24. drill — a practice

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