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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: content · bear · stock · band · march · rest · dip · date

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. date — the fruit
  5. content — happy
  6. rest — what's left
  7. bear — the animal
  8. march — music
  9. stock — shares
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. march — the month
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. band — a ring
  16. rest — what's left
  17. dip — to sink
  18. bear — the animal
  19. march — the month
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. content — the amount
  23. band — a music group
  24. rest — a break

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