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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: rash · stock · mouse · stand · bass · bark · clip · mine

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. mine — for digging
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. clip — for paper
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. rash — hasty
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. clip — to cut
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. rash — a series
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bass — low music
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. bass — the fish
  20. stock — goods
  21. stand — to bear
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. clip — a video
  24. bark — to shout

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