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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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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: hide · fork · bark · stock · race · stick · tear · pound

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. race — the arms race
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. stock — goods
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. fork — in a road
  7. tear — from crying
  8. race — a contest
  9. tear — to rip
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. bark — to shout
  12. race — humankind
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. pound — a weight
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stock — shares

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