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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: lash · stock · cold · present · spring · dip · court · bark

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. spring — the season
  3. cold — an illness
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. present — there
  6. cold — not warm
  7. stock — shares
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. dip — to sink
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. court — of a king
  14. spring — a coil
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. stock — goods
  17. spring — of water
  18. present — a gift
  19. court — of law
  20. present — the time now
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. court — for sport
  23. bark — to shout
  24. lash — an eyelash

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