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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: stock · tube · perch · bound · hand · scale · bark · bore

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. scale — in music
  3. stock — shares
  4. bound — certain
  5. stock — goods
  6. perch — the fish
  7. bark — to shout
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. bore — to drill
  10. hand — help
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. tube — a container
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bore — to tire
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bound — obliged
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. tube — the underground
  19. hand — in cards
  20. scale — size or range
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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