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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 116 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 · degree · bound · bark · branch · fine · cap · pitcher

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. fine — high quality
  4. cap — a lid
  5. fine — all right
  6. stock — shares
  7. bark — to shout
  8. cap — a hat
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. degree — from a university
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. bound — tied together
  13. branch — a division
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. degree — an amount
  19. degree — temperature
  20. bound — certain
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bound — obliged
  23. cap — of ice
  24. stock — goods

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