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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. lean — to bend
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. rush — hurry
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. chair — a leader
  8. face — part of the head
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. stock — shares
  11. stock — goods
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. bank — for money
  14. spell — letters
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. spell — magic
  18. face — to point toward
  19. spell — a short time
  20. bank — for money
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. face — to confront
  23. lean — thin
  24. bank — of a river

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