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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: foot · mine · march · wound · stock · firm · prune · date

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. march — the month
  3. date — the fruit
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. wound — an injury
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. march — the month
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. firm — decided
  10. stock — goods
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. march — music
  15. prune — to trim
  16. firm — a company
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mine — for digging
  19. prune — to trim
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. wound — an injury
  23. stock — shares
  24. foot — a measure

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