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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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. can — a tin
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. craft — a skill
  5. hand — in cards
  6. season — in sport
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. season — of the year
  11. hand — help
  12. can — to be able to
  13. stock — shares
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. craft — boats
  16. stock — goods
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. can — a tin
  24. bark — of a tree

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