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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. sharp — clever
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stem — to come from
  7. bound — tied together
  8. perch — the fish
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bark — to shout
  13. ball — a great time
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. ball — a dance
  21. bound — obliged
  22. stock — goods
  23. bound — certain
  24. sharp — with an edge

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