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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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. stock — goods
  3. row — a line
  4. track — to keep track
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. stock — shares
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. bark — to shout
  9. row — to paddle
  10. bulb — for light
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — to trim
  15. track — a song
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. plane — a tool
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. track — a path
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. jam — a tight spot

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