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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: last · fall · stock · rest · bass · bark · fork · club

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. fork — in a road
  4. last — to go on
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bass — low music
  7. fall — the season
  8. stock — shares
  9. last — finally
  10. fall — to drop
  11. last — final
  12. stock — goods
  13. bark — to shout
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. club — for dancing
  16. rest — a break
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bass — the fish
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. club — a group
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — what's left
  24. club — for golf

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