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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: net · date · stock · can · bark · march · foot · stem

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. date — the fruit
  5. net — for catching
  6. foot — a measure
  7. stock — shares
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bark — to shout
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. net — in sport
  13. stock — goods
  14. net — after costs
  15. march — music
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. can — a tin
  18. march — the month
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. can — a tin
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. can — to be able to
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. stem — to come from

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