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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. bark — to shout
  3. drill — army training
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. stock — shares
  7. drill — a practice
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. hand — in cards
  11. spell — magic
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. stand — to bear
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. spell — a short time
  20. branch — a division
  21. stock — goods
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. hand — help
  24. drill — the tool

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