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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 · snap · march · stem · court · stock · fine · rash

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bark — to shout
  5. fine — all right
  6. rash — a series
  7. court — of a king
  8. stock — goods
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. court — for sport
  11. stock — shares
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. fine — high quality
  14. march — music
  15. snap — to click
  16. stem — to come from
  17. march — the month
  18. rash — hasty
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. court — of law
  22. march — the month
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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