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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. fine — all right
  3. bass — low music
  4. stock — goods
  5. prune — to trim
  6. lean — thin
  7. fine — high quality
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. stock — shares
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. row — a line
  12. key — for a lock
  13. key — in music
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. key — the most important part
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. bass — the fish
  19. row — to paddle
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. prune — to trim
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. lean — to bend
  24. bark — to shout

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