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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: stock · cap · fall · craft · game · mine · march · stand

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. cap — of ice
  3. game — wild animals
  4. fall — to drop
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. mine — for digging
  7. craft — boats
  8. game — a match
  9. fall — to drop
  10. cap — a hat
  11. march — the month
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. stand — to bear
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. craft — a skill
  16. march — music
  17. march — the month
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. cap — a lid
  20. fall — the season
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. stock — goods
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. stock — shares

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