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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. stock — shares
  5. bass — the fish
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. stock — goods
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. bass — low music
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. row — a line
  16. row — to paddle
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. foot — a measure
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — ministers

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