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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 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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. bark — to shout
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. last — finally
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. net — for catching
  12. net — in sport
  13. last — final
  14. stock — shares
  15. squash — the sport
  16. net — after costs
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. craft — a skill
  19. branch — a division
  20. squash — to crush
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. craft — boats
  23. foot — a measure
  24. last — to go on

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