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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bark · spring · bay · stock · lash · pitch · patient · face

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. face — to point toward
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. pitch — completely
  6. spring — of water
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. stock — goods
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. bark — to shout
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. spring — the season
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. stock — shares
  16. spring — a coil
  17. face — to confront
  18. face — part of the head
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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