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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: bear · bark · hand · object · land · stock · mug · chip

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. bear — the animal
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. hand — in cards
  5. land — ground
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. object — to protest
  8. mug — a cup
  9. land — a country
  10. land — to come down
  11. chip — to eat
  12. bear — the animal
  13. chip — for betting
  14. stock — shares
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. bark — to shout
  20. hand — help
  21. object — an aim
  22. object — a thing
  23. mug — to rob
  24. mug — a face

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