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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: stock · content · present · branch · march · chest · suit · firm

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. firm — steady
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. suit — in cards
  5. march — the month
  6. chest — a box
  7. present — a gift
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. firm — a company
  10. march — music
  11. suit — to fit
  12. chest — of your body
  13. present — there
  14. chest — of your body
  15. content — happy
  16. branch — a division
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. firm — decided
  20. content — the amount
  21. present — the time now
  22. march — the month
  23. stock — shares
  24. suit — clothes

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