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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: stock · field · rock · root · last · bat · object · bark

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. object — a thing
  4. last — finally
  5. stock — shares
  6. field — farmland
  7. root — of a plant
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. object — to protest
  10. bark — to shout
  11. rock — music
  12. field — for sport
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. last — final
  16. root — the cause
  17. root — of a word
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. rock — a stone
  21. last — to go on
  22. stock — goods
  23. bat — the animal
  24. object — an aim

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