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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: bark · temple · land · stock · club · pitcher · nail · wake

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. land — ground
  3. club — for golf
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wake — a trail
  6. land — to come down
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. stock — goods
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. club — for dancing
  11. club — a group
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. land — a country
  20. stock — shares
  21. bark — to shout
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. pitcher — a jug

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