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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 116 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: pass · spell · firm · bark · bat · sharp · wound · stock

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. pass — a permit
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. firm — decided
  7. spell — letters
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. sharp — clever
  11. bark — to shout
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. spell — magic
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. firm — a company
  16. stock — shares
  17. firm — steady
  18. spell — a short time
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. stock — goods
  21. wound — an injury
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. bat — the animal

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