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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: stock · row · wound · trunk · bark · fork · drill · fall

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. drill — army training
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. fork — in a road
  8. fall — to drop
  9. wound — an injury
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. stock — goods
  13. row — to paddle
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. drill — the tool
  18. fall — the season
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. row — a line
  21. drill — a practice
  22. fall — to drop
  23. stock — shares
  24. wound — an injury

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