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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. stock — shares
  3. spring — of water
  4. stock — goods
  5. wind — moving air
  6. present — there
  7. present — a gift
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. spring — a coil
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. pound — a weight
  15. present — the time now
  16. swing — in golf
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. swing — music
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. bark — to shout
  21. swing — to play on
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. spring — 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