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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: cue · board · bark · mouse · tear · stock · net · row

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. cue — for pool
  3. row — to paddle
  4. board — to get on
  5. net — in sport
  6. stock — shares
  7. tear — to rip
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. net — for catching
  14. cue — a hint
  15. cue — a signal
  16. bark — to shout
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. net — after costs
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. board — a committee
  21. stock — goods
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. row — a line
  24. board — a flat piece

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