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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 · rest · racket · nail · bulb · date · wind · stock

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. date — the fruit
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. bulb — for light
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. bark — to shout
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. rest — what's left
  16. wind — moving air
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bulb — for light
  21. rest — a break
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. stock — goods
  24. rest — what's left

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