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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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Word bank
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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: bark · pound · staff · stock · capital · stick

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. bark — to shout
  4. staff — employees
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. capital — a city
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. staff — a stick
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. stock — goods
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stock — shares
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. pound — a weight
  18. capital — money

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