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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: bark · can · stock · toast · land · sharp · present · drill

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  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. toast — bread
  2. stock — shares
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. drill — the tool
  6. land — to come down
  7. can — a tin
  8. bark — to shout
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — to be able to
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. stock — goods
  13. land — ground
  14. present — there
  15. land — a country
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. present — the time now
  19. sharp — clever
  20. drill — a practice
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. present — a gift
  23. drill — army training
  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