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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 116 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: calf · stock · bark · lash · suit · cell · ground · fall

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. ground — a position
  4. bark — to shout
  5. cell — a phone
  6. fall — to drop
  7. ground — crushed
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. fall — to drop
  12. cell — in biology
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. suit — to fit
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. fall — the season
  20. suit — in cards
  21. stock — goods
  22. ground — the earth
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. suit — clothes

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