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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 120 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: fork · track · ball · stock · fall · bark · staff · content

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. fall — to drop
  3. ball — a great time
  4. ball — a dance
  5. track — to keep track
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. bark — to shout
  8. staff — employees
  9. stock — goods
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. track — a path
  13. staff — a stick
  14. content — the amount
  15. track — a song
  16. fall — the season
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. content — happy
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. staff — employees
  22. fall — to drop
  23. stock — shares
  24. fork — in a road

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