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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 · mate · staff · stock · trunk · bulb · bat · stick

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. staff — employees
  5. mate — a friend
  6. mate — to breed
  7. bulb — for light
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bark — to shout
  13. mate — a partner
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. stock — shares
  18. staff — a stick
  19. bat — the animal
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. staff — employees

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