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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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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: craft · bark · can · stock · bank · last · cabinet · wind

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. stock — goods
  3. last — final
  4. stock — shares
  5. bark — to shout
  6. can — to be able to
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bank — for money
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. last — finally
  12. craft — boats
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. bank — of a river
  15. can — a tin
  16. last — to go on
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. bank — for money
  19. wind — moving air
  20. can — a tin
  21. craft — a skill
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. craft — a handicraft

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