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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: march · staff · swing · stock · fall · tube · face · firm

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. march — the month
  3. march — music
  4. staff — a stick
  5. tube — the underground
  6. stock — shares
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. firm — steady
  9. march — the month
  10. firm — decided
  11. swing — music
  12. staff — employees
  13. tube — a container
  14. swing — to play on
  15. face — to confront
  16. face — to point toward
  17. fall — to drop
  18. stock — goods
  19. face — part of the head
  20. staff — employees
  21. firm — a company
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — the season
  24. swing — in golf

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