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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: band · suit · stock · fork · hide · bark · row · bay

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. bark — to shout
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. suit — to fit
  16. suit — in cards
  17. suit — clothes
  18. row — to paddle
  19. stock — shares
  20. row — a line
  21. fork — in a road
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. stock — goods
  24. band — a music group

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