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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 120 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: last · court · season · stock · bulb · board · face · bark

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. face — part of the head
  4. season — of the year
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. court — for sport
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. court — of a king
  9. bulb — for light
  10. stock — goods
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. last — to go on
  13. face — to confront
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bulb — for light
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. court — of law
  18. season — in sport
  19. face — to point toward
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. stock — shares
  22. last — finally
  23. board — a committee
  24. last — final

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