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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. stock — shares
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bank — of a river
  6. pop — music
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. bark — to shout
  9. pop — soda
  10. mine — for digging
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. pop — to visit
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bank — for money
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bank — for money

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