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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: bark · ruler · foot · ground · pop · stock · key · cell

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. key — in music
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. stock — goods
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pop — music
  7. cell — a phone
  8. stock — shares
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. pop — soda
  13. key — the most important part
  14. ground — the earth
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. foot — a measure
  17. ground — a position
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. bark — to shout
  20. ground — crushed
  21. key — for a lock
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. cell — in biology

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