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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: stock · chest · season · fall · bark · can · craft · stand

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. chest — of your body
  3. season — of the year
  4. bark — to shout
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. craft — a skill
  8. can — a tin
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. fall — to drop
  11. chest — of your body
  12. stand — to bear
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. chest — a box
  15. season — in sport
  16. fall — the season
  17. craft — boats
  18. stock — goods
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. can — to be able to
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. can — a tin
  24. stock — shares

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