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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: key · stock · patient · can · march · wake · snap · roll

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. march — the month
  3. stock — shares
  4. roll — a list
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. wake — a trail
  7. can — to be able to
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — a tin
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. key — in music
  13. snap — to click
  14. key — the most important part
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. march — the month
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. key — for a lock
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. march — music
  22. roll — a cake
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. roll — on a roll

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