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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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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: fork · mate · stem · bark · nail · tube · stock · pitcher

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. bark — to shout
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. mate — to breed
  7. fork — in a road
  8. stem — to come from
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. tube — the underground
  11. mate — a friend
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. stock — goods
  16. tube — a container
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. stock — shares
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. pitcher — a jug

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