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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: row · leaves · bark · rest · staff · wake · pitcher · stock

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. rest — a break
  4. staff — employees
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. row — a line
  7. stock — goods
  8. row — to paddle
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. rest — what's left
  11. stock — shares
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. rest — what's left
  17. wake — a trail
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. staff — employees
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bark — to shout
  24. staff — a stick

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