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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 · pass · wake · spring · straw · stock

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. stock — shares
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. bark — to shout
  5. wake — a trail
  6. spring — a coil
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. pass — a permit
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. spring — of water
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. stock — goods
  16. spring — the season
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. wake — to stop sleeping

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