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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. drill — army training
  3. stock — shares
  4. net — in sport
  5. bank — for money
  6. stock — goods
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. drill — the tool
  10. shower — to wash
  11. drill — a practice
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. net — for catching
  16. bank — of a river
  17. net — after costs
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. bark — to shout
  20. shower — rain
  21. bank — for money
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. arm — part of the body

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