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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 120 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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. stock — goods
  3. march — music
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. pop — to visit
  7. pop — soda
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bound — tied together
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. march — the month
  13. fork — in a road
  14. pop — music
  15. march — the month
  16. stock — shares
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bound — certain
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bark — to shout
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. bowl — a football final

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