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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: pitcher · last · cap · rock · bark · drill · mine · stock

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. last — finally
  4. drill — the tool
  5. drill — a practice
  6. cap — a hat
  7. bark — to shout
  8. stock — goods
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. drill — army training
  12. mine — for digging
  13. cap — of ice
  14. rock — a stone
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. rock — music
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. last — final
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. cap — a lid
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. stock — shares
  24. last — to go on

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