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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: present · bark · wound · wave · stock · pop · last · rash

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. last — to go on
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. present — a gift
  7. wound — an injury
  8. pop — music
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. rash — a series
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. stock — shares
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. present — the time now
  16. pop — soda
  17. last — final
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. bark — to shout
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. pop — to visit
  23. last — finally
  24. present — there

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