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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: saw · spring · fork · stock · foot · bark · can · patient

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. saw — the tool
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. can — a tin
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. stock — shares
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. spring — the season
  13. fork — in a road
  14. spring — of water
  15. stock — goods
  16. saw — the tool
  17. foot — a measure
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. spring — a coil
  20. bark — to shout
  21. can — a tin
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. fork — to eat with

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