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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 · rash · wake · row · bear · bat · fine · bark

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. row — to paddle
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. fine — high quality
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. wake — a trail
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. rash — a series
  15. row — a line
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bat — the animal
  19. stock — shares
  20. fine — all right
  21. stock — goods
  22. bark — to shout
  23. rash — hasty
  24. fine — a penalty

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