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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: march · wound · stock · bass · press · stem · patient · last

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. press — newspapers
  4. bass — low music
  5. last — to go on
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. wound — an injury
  9. last — final
  10. bass — the fish
  11. wound — an injury
  12. stem — to come from
  13. stock — shares
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. march — the month
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. press — to push
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. march — music
  22. stock — goods
  23. last — finally
  24. press — a publisher

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