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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · leaves · object · march · firm · mine · row · pop

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. row — a line
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. pop — music
  5. stock — shares
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. march — music
  10. firm — steady
  11. firm — a company
  12. mine — for digging
  13. object — to protest
  14. row — to paddle
  15. pop — soda
  16. march — the month
  17. stock — goods
  18. firm — decided
  19. object — a thing
  20. march — the month
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. object — an aim
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. mine — an explosive

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