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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. rest — a break
  7. rest — what's left
  8. wind — moving air
  9. stock — shares
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. land — a country
  12. fine — high quality
  13. land — to come down
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. land — ground
  16. fine — all right
  17. rest — what's left
  18. bark — to shout
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. stock — goods
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. wind — moving air

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