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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bark — to shout
  7. current — electric
  8. pound — a weight
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. stock — goods
  15. current — of water
  16. current — happening now
  17. mate — a friend
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. bear — the animal
  20. deal — to handle
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. mate — to breed
  23. mate — a partner
  24. bear — the animal

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