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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 120 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: foot · stock · band · bear · lash · can · capital · bark

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. bark — to shout
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. capital — a city
  6. foot — a measure
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. capital — money
  9. stock — shares
  10. band — a ring
  11. band — a music group
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. can — a tin
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. stock — goods
  16. can — a tin
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. can — to be able to
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. bear — the animal
  24. foot — part of the body

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