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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 116 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 always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. band — a music group
  7. bark — to shout
  8. land — a country
  9. stock — shares
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. pound — a weight
  12. chip — to eat
  13. band — a ring
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. craft — a skill
  17. land — ground
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. craft — boats
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. chip — for betting
  24. land — to come down

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