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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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468
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: rash · stand · wake · bear · wound · bound · stock · bark

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. rash — hasty
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. bear — the animal
  7. stand — to bear
  8. stock — shares
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bound — certain
  12. bound — tied together
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. stock — goods
  15. wake — a trail
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. wound — an injury
  19. rash — a series
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bark — to shout
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. bear — the animal
  24. rash — on the skin

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