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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. charge — a price
  4. bass — low music
  5. spring — a coil
  6. spring — of water
  7. root — of a plant
  8. charge — electricity
  9. stock — shares
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. charge — in control
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. spring — the season
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bark — to shout
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. foot — a measure
  19. stand — to bear
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. root — the cause
  23. root — of a word
  24. stock — goods

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