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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 · mug · stock · chair · dip · hand · leaves · season

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. dip — to sink
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. bark — to shout
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. stock — shares
  9. chair — a leader
  10. season — in sport
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. mug — a face
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. hand — in cards
  17. mug — a cup
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. stock — goods
  20. mug — to rob
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. season — of the year
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. hand — help

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