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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: content · bark · roll · stock · file · dip · mouse · field

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. stock — goods
  4. bark — to shout
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. file — a tool
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. roll — a cake
  11. file — a document
  12. field — farmland
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. content — happy
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. stock — shares
  18. field — a subject
  19. dip — to sink
  20. roll — a list
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. field — for sport
  24. content — the amount

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