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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: plane · rash · key · wound · bark · kid · stock · staff

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — an injury
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stock — shares
  7. key — for a lock
  8. rash — a series
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. kid — child
  11. plane — a tool
  12. staff — a stick
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. stock — goods
  17. key — the most important part
  18. key — in music
  19. kid — to tease
  20. bark — to shout
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — employees
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. rash — hasty

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