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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: pitcher · mine · ruler · mate · wound · deal · bark · stock

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. mate — a partner
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. bark — to shout
  10. mate — a friend
  11. mate — to breed
  12. deal — to handle
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — an injury
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. stock — goods
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. stock — shares
  24. deal — an agreement

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