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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: bay · can · arm · foot · bark · stock · press · wind

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. press — a publisher
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. foot — a measure
  5. can — to be able to
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. press — newspapers
  8. can — a tin
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bark — to shout
  12. can — a tin
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. press — to push
  15. stock — shares
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. stock — goods
  22. wind — moving air
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. arm — a part of something

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