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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 · bark · rest · stock · scale · sharp · stick · tube

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. stock — goods
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. scale — in music
  9. rash — a series
  10. stock — shares
  11. bark — to shout
  12. scale — size or range
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. sharp — clever
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. rest — what's left
  21. tube — the underground
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. rest — a break
  24. rash — hasty

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