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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. bark — to shout
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. stock — shares
  5. can — to be able to
  6. bound — tied together
  7. rash — a series
  8. bound — obliged
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. saw — the tool
  12. can — a tin
  13. stock — goods
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — to drop
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. fall — the season
  18. can — a tin
  19. rash — hasty
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. bound — certain

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