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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: content · stock · date · wake · bark · jam · mate · hand

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. hand — in cards
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. bark — to shout
  5. wake — a trail
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. mate — a friend
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. hand — help
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. stock — goods
  15. date — the fruit
  16. mate — a partner
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. stock — shares
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. mate — to breed
  23. content — happy
  24. content — the amount

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