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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. wound — an injury
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. wound — an injury
  7. cap — a lid
  8. deal — to handle
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. cap — of ice
  11. bark — to shout
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. stock — goods
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. rock — a stone
  17. stock — shares
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. mine — for digging
  22. rock — music
  23. cap — a hat
  24. rock — to move gently

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