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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 120 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: march · bore · stick · stock · mine · rock · chest · pitcher

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. stock — shares
  3. march — the month
  4. chest — of your body
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. rock — a stone
  10. march — the month
  11. stock — goods
  12. bore — to drill
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mine — for digging
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. chest — a box
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. rock — music
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. bore — to tire

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