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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
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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: wake · bark · squash · tube · spell · mug · stock · tear

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. wake — a trail
  3. spell — magic
  4. stock — goods
  5. spell — a short time
  6. tear — from crying
  7. squash — to crush
  8. mug — to rob
  9. tube — a container
  10. tear — to rip
  11. tube — the underground
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. mug — a cup
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. mug — a face
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. bark — to shout
  22. squash — the sport
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. stock — shares

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