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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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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: snap · ground · rest · stock · stick · mate · prune · bark

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — to trim
  7. stock — goods
  8. mate — a friend
  9. mate — to breed
  10. snap — to click
  11. ground — a position
  12. rest — what's left
  13. ground — crushed
  14. bark — to shout
  15. rest — what's left
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. rest — a break
  19. stock — shares
  20. ground — the earth
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. mate — a partner

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