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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: spring · scale · arm · bark · stock · mark · lie · hand

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. hand — help
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. lie — to recline
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. scale — in music
  11. hand — in cards
  12. mark — a trace
  13. bark — to shout
  14. spring — a coil
  15. mark — a grade
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. stock — shares
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. spring — the season
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. spring — of water
  24. scale — size or range

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