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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: net · rest · stock · bound · craft · cell · leaves · bark

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. rest — what's left
  3. stock — goods
  4. bound — certain
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bound — tied together
  9. cell — a phone
  10. craft — boats
  11. cell — in biology
  12. stock — shares
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. net — in sport
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. bark — to shout
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — a break
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. net — after costs
  24. net — for catching

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