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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. lean — thin
  5. stock — goods
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. roll — a list
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. bark — to shout
  13. bulb — for light
  14. lean — to bend
  15. drill — the tool
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. drill — a practice
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. roll — a cake
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. bulb — for light
  23. drill — army training
  24. safe — a strongbox

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