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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stick · bark · cabinet · rock · stock · fine

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. fine — high quality
  4. stock — shares
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. stock — goods
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. rock — music
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. rock — a stone
  16. fine — all right
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. bark — to shout

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