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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 120 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: firm · spell · chest · kick · tear · stock · bark · mate

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. stock — shares
  3. chest — of your body
  4. tear — from crying
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. firm — steady
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — to rip
  9. mate — a friend
  10. chest — a box
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. spell — letters
  13. chest — of your body
  14. mate — a partner
  15. firm — decided
  16. spell — a short time
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. kick — in football
  19. stock — goods
  20. mate — to breed
  21. bark — to shout
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. firm — a company
  24. spell — magic

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