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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mine · tear · stock · rush · march · dip · scale · bark

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. march — music
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. scale — in music
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. dip — to sink
  7. march — the month
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — from crying
  10. stock — shares
  11. stock — goods
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. scale — size or range
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. tear — to rip
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. march — the month
  21. mine — for digging
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. rush — hurry

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