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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 · stock · mate · spring · track · scale · spell · bowl

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. scale — in music
  3. spell — magic
  4. stock — shares
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. spring — of water
  8. mate — a friend
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. spring — the season
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. track — to keep track
  13. spell — letters
  14. mate — to breed
  15. track — a song
  16. mate — a partner
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. track — a path
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. spring — a coil
  22. stock — goods
  23. scale — size or range
  24. stock — a soup base

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