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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: tube · kick · row · fall · stock · degree · stand · bark

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — to drop
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. degree — from a university
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. stock — shares
  9. row — a line
  10. degree — temperature
  11. tube — a container
  12. degree — an amount
  13. bark — to shout
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. stock — goods
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. stand — to bear
  20. row — to paddle
  21. tube — the underground
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. fall — the season
  24. kick — in football

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