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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: march · bore · stick · spring · can · net · stand · game

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. game — wild animals
  5. spring — a coil
  6. march — the month
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. game — a match
  9. net — after costs
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. march — music
  12. can — a tin
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. net — for catching
  15. spring — of water
  16. net — in sport
  17. bore — to tire
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. can — to be able to
  20. bore — to drill
  21. can — a tin
  22. march — the month
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. spring — the season

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