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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. row — a line
  3. stock — goods
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. rock — music
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. object — an aim
  10. bark — to shout
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. cell — in biology
  13. stock — shares
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. object — a thing
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. stand — to bear
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. rock — a stone
  21. object — to protest
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — an injury
  24. row — to paddle

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