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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 120 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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. bear — the animal
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. pound — a weight
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. court — for sport
  10. band — a music group
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. band — a ring
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. court — of a king
  15. bark — to shout
  16. rush — hurry
  17. stock — shares
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. bear — the animal
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. court — of law
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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