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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: saw · stock · hand · bark · safe · foot · mine · march

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. saw — the tool
  5. hand — help
  6. foot — a measure
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. hand — in cards
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. march — music
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. march — the month
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. mine — for digging
  19. bark — to shout
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. stock — goods
  24. march — the month

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