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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: track · wake · ground · stock · bark · face · cabinet · vault

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. face — to confront
  4. ground — a position
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. face — to point toward
  11. wake — a trail
  12. stock — shares
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. track — a path
  15. stock — goods
  16. face — part of the head
  17. track — to keep track
  18. ground — the earth
  19. bark — to shout
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. vault — a safe
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. track — a song

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