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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 116 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 · stock · kick · march · land · cabinet · stem · perch

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. bark — to shout
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. march — music
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. stock — shares
  12. stem — to come from
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. stock — goods
  15. land — to come down
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. land — ground
  18. land — a country
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. march — the month
  21. kick — in football
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. march — the month
  24. perch — the fish

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