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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: stock · temple · plane · bark · band · kick · cold · suit

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. suit — in cards
  3. suit — to fit
  4. cold — an illness
  5. stock — shares
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. band — a music group
  8. stock — goods
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. band — a ring
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. suit — clothes
  15. cold — not warm
  16. plane — a tool
  17. kick — in football
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bark — to shout
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. band — a rubber band

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