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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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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: stock · fine · spell · bark · calf · bore · straw · net

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. spell — letters
  4. stock — shares
  5. fine — all right
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. net — in sport
  8. stock — goods
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. bore — to drill
  12. fine — high quality
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. bark — to shout
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. bore — to tire
  20. spell — a short time
  21. net — for catching
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. spell — magic

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