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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: date · scale · tear · fall · bark · toast · squash · stock

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. stock — shares
  6. scale — in music
  7. tear — from crying
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. squash — to crush
  10. fall — to drop
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bark — to shout
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. fall — the season
  18. toast — bread
  19. squash — the sport
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. scale — size or range
  22. tear — to rip
  23. fall — to drop
  24. stock — goods

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