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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: kid · field · dip · craft · toast · cue · bark · stock

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. field — for sport
  3. toast — bread
  4. craft — boats
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. stock — goods
  8. dip — to sink
  9. kid — to tease
  10. cue — a hint
  11. cue — for pool
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. kid — child
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. field — farmland
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bark — to shout
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. cue — a signal
  23. field — a subject
  24. craft — a skill

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