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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.

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: mate · wave · cold · spring · leaves · object · stock · bark

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. mate — to breed
  3. stock — shares
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. mate — a friend
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. spring — the season
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. cold — an illness
  13. bark — to shout
  14. spring — of water
  15. object — to protest
  16. spring — a coil
  17. cold — not warm
  18. stock — goods
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. object — an aim
  21. mate — a partner
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. object — a thing

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