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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: bat · craft · pop · bark · stock · mark · fall · roll

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bark — to shout
  3. fall — the season
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. fall — to drop
  7. roll — a list
  8. roll — a cake
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. stock — shares
  12. pop — soda
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. mark — a grade
  15. craft — a skill
  16. mark — a trace
  17. stock — goods
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bat — the animal
  21. craft — boats
  22. pop — music
  23. pop — to visit
  24. bat — in an idiom

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