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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. stock — shares
  4. stock — goods
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. rush — hurry
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. bark — to shout
  13. saw — the tool
  14. file — a document
  15. file — a tool
  16. dip — to sink
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. saw — the tool
  22. file — a line of people
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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