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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: rest · bear · present · scale · saw · march · coach · stock

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. stock — shares
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. rest — what's left
  5. march — music
  6. present — a gift
  7. scale — in music
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. march — the month
  10. rest — what's left
  11. saw — the tool
  12. march — the month
  13. scale — size or range
  14. rest — a break
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. present — the time now
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. stock — goods
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bear — the animal
  21. present — there
  22. bear — the animal
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. scale — for weighing

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