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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: rash · press · mug · tear · bark · suit · bass · stock

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. bass — the fish
  3. rash — hasty
  4. bark — to shout
  5. tear — to rip
  6. stock — goods
  7. stock — shares
  8. tear — from crying
  9. suit — clothes
  10. rash — a series
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. bass — low music
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. press — to push
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. suit — to fit
  20. mug — a face
  21. press — newspapers
  22. mug — to rob
  23. suit — in cards
  24. mug — a cup

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