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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: bark · tube · trunk · lean · row · bowl · content · stock

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. content — happy
  3. lean — thin
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. stock — goods
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. tube — a container
  10. lean — to bend
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. stock — shares
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. row — to paddle
  18. bark — to shout
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. tube — the underground
  23. content — the amount
  24. bark — of a tree

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