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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: rash · bark · fan · cell · jam · stock · branch · fine

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. rash — a series
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. rash — hasty
  16. cell — in biology
  17. stock — goods
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. fine — high quality
  20. branch — a division
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. cell — a phone
  23. fine — all right
  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