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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 116 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: bass · last · can · bark · bound · stock · dip · march

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. stock — shares
  4. can — to be able to
  5. dip — to sink
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. march — the month
  8. last — final
  9. bass — low music
  10. stock — goods
  11. bound — obliged
  12. last — to go on
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. can — a tin
  17. bound — tied together
  18. can — a tin
  19. last — finally
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. march — the month
  22. march — music
  23. bound — certain
  24. stock — a soup base

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