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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: toast · bore · plane · stock · field · cabinet · wake · bark

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. wake — a trail
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. bark — to shout
  9. stock — shares
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. field — a subject
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. field — for sport
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. stock — goods
  19. plane — a tool
  20. field — farmland
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bore — to tire
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. bore — to drill

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