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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mark · stock · tear · wake · bark · scale · calf · clip

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. stock — goods
  5. bark — to shout
  6. scale — in music
  7. tear — from crying
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. clip — a video
  11. tear — to rip
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. clip — for paper
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. mark — a trace
  17. tear — from crying
  18. wake — a trail
  19. clip — to cut
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. stock — shares
  24. mark — a grade

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