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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: stock · track · patient · lash · key · bark · bound · bat

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. bat — the animal
  4. stock — shares
  5. key — the most important part
  6. stock — goods
  7. track — a song
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bound — certain
  13. key — in music
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. key — for a lock
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bound — tied together
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. bark — to shout
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. track — a path
  24. track — to keep track

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