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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: fall · object · fan · squash · march · stock · track · mate

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. fall — to drop
  3. track — a song
  4. stock — goods
  5. mate — a partner
  6. march — the month
  7. mate — a friend
  8. squash — the sport
  9. object — an aim
  10. stock — shares
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. fall — to drop
  13. march — music
  14. fall — the season
  15. track — to keep track
  16. track — a path
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. march — the month
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. squash — to crush
  22. mate — to breed
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. object — a thing

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