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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: bore · arm · pass · stock · land · nail · bark · shower

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. bore — to tire
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. land — a country
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. stock — goods
  9. shower — rain
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. pass — a permit
  13. shower — to wash
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. land — ground
  20. stock — shares
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. land — to come down
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. bore — to drill

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