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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: fine · fork · suit · mate · degree · bark · bound · stock

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. mate — a partner
  3. mate — to breed
  4. suit — in cards
  5. bark — to shout
  6. fine — all right
  7. bound — tied together
  8. fine — high quality
  9. suit — clothes
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. mate — a friend
  12. degree — from a university
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bound — certain
  15. degree — an amount
  16. suit — to fit
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. degree — temperature
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. stock — shares
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. fork — in a road

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