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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 120 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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. fall — to drop
  3. stock — goods
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. fall — the season
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. deal — to handle
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. race — humankind
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. wake — a trail
  14. net — in sport
  15. bark — to shout
  16. net — for catching
  17. net — after costs
  18. fall — to drop
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. race — a contest
  22. stock — shares
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. race — the arms race

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