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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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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: key · stock · march · present · stem · pass · wind · trunk

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. march — the month
  3. wind — moving air
  4. march — the month
  5. key — for a lock
  6. stock — shares
  7. present — the time now
  8. stock — goods
  9. wind — moving air
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. stem — to come from
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. present — a gift
  14. key — in music
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. pass — a permit
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. key — the most important part
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. march — music
  24. stem — a stem cell

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