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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: foot · march · wind · date · scale · stock · bark · jam

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. stock — goods
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. scale — size or range
  10. march — the month
  11. wind — moving air
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. march — the month
  15. wind — moving air
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. march — music
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. stock — shares
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. scale — in music
  23. date — the fruit
  24. bark — to shout

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