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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: wind · stand · rash · snap · court · jam · bark · stock

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. bark — to shout
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. court — of a king
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. wind — moving air
  9. stock — goods
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. snap — to click
  12. stock — shares
  13. rash — a series
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. rash — hasty
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. wind — moving air
  21. court — for sport
  22. stand — to bear
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. court — of law

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