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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 · toast · fine · patient · scale · bark · pitcher · nail

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. stock — goods
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. stock — shares
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. fine — all right
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. fine — high quality
  11. toast — bread
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. bark — to shout
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. scale — size or range
  24. scale — in music

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