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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.

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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: row · bark · straw · suit · stock · pound · rule · saw

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. suit — clothes
  3. rule — government
  4. row — a line
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. stock — goods
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. rule — a law
  10. bark — to shout
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. row — to paddle
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. saw — the tool
  17. pound — a weight
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. suit — in cards
  22. suit — to fit
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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