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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: vault · board · ground · saw · bass · roll · bark · stock

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. board — to get on
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. stock — goods
  11. bass — the fish
  12. ground — the earth
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. saw — the tool
  15. board — a committee
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. bass — low music
  18. roll — a list
  19. vault — a safe
  20. roll — a cake
  21. ground — a position
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. saw — the tool
  24. stock — shares

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