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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. squash — the sport
  4. bear — the animal
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bark — to shout
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. object — to protest
  11. fall — to drop
  12. object — a thing
  13. squash — to crush
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. stock — shares
  17. object — an aim
  18. fall — to drop
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. fall — the season

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