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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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468
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: straw · temple · bore · net · cell · craft · march · stock

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. march — the month
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. net — for catching
  12. stock — shares
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. craft — boats
  16. bore — to drill
  17. march — the month
  18. bore — to tire
  19. stock — goods
  20. craft — a skill
  21. cell — a phone
  22. net — in sport
  23. march — music
  24. cell — in biology

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