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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: suit · row · stock · bark · mine · fan · drill · staff

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. suit — in cards
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. stock — goods
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. bark — to shout
  7. drill — army training
  8. row — to paddle
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. suit — clothes
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. row — a line
  14. staff — employees
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. drill — the tool
  17. drill — a practice
  18. stock — shares
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. staff — a stick
  22. suit — to fit
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. staff — employees

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