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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: bark · court · fork · lash · stock · hand · present · spell

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. court — of a king
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. stock — shares
  5. bark — to shout
  6. present — a gift
  7. spell — letters
  8. present — there
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. court — for sport
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. fork — in a road
  13. spell — a short time
  14. hand — help
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. hand — in cards
  18. spell — magic
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. court — of law
  22. stock — goods
  23. present — the time now
  24. fork — a garden tool

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