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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: wound · bark · club · stock · cap · trunk · pop · bowl

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  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. cap — of ice
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. club — for golf
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. cap — a lid
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. cap — a hat
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — an injury
  11. pop — to visit
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. pop — music
  14. stock — shares
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. club — a group
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. bark — to shout
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. club — for dancing
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. pop — soda
  23. trunk — of a car
  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