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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: track · content · stock · dip · bank · fork · root · bark

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. root — of a word
  4. track — a path
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. stock — shares
  7. bank — of a river
  8. content — happy
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. fork — in a road
  12. bark — to shout
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. root — of a plant
  17. track — a song
  18. bank — for money
  19. root — the cause
  20. stock — goods
  21. dip — to sink
  22. bank — for money
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. content — the amount

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