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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.

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: net · nail · wind · vault · bark · stock · firm · bass

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. net — after costs
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. bass — the fish
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. net — for catching
  8. bass — low music
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. vault — a safe
  11. net — in sport
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. firm — steady
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bark — to shout
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. wind — moving air
  18. stock — goods
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. stock — shares
  21. firm — a company
  22. firm — decided
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. nail — on a finger

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