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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. season — in sport
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. fork — in a road
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. season — of the year
  14. bark — to shout
  15. land — ground
  16. land — to come down
  17. stock — goods
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. roll — a list
  21. stock — shares
  22. land — a country
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. lash — an eyelash

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