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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: stock · tear · bark · bank · cap · file · chair · toast

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. cap — of ice
  3. stock — goods
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. bank — for money
  8. bank — for money
  9. cap — a lid
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. tear — from crying
  12. file — a tool
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. bark — to shout
  15. chair — a leader
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. tear — from crying
  18. file — a line of people
  19. bank — of a river
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. cap — a hat
  22. stock — shares
  23. tear — to rip
  24. toast — bread

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