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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 116 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 · staff · tear · stand · degree · spring · bark · stock

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. tear — to rip
  3. staff — employees
  4. bark — to shout
  5. plane — a tool
  6. degree — temperature
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. tear — from crying
  9. degree — an amount
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. staff — a stick
  12. spring — a coil
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. staff — employees
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. degree — from a university
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. spring — of water
  20. tear — from crying
  21. spring — the season
  22. stock — shares
  23. stand — to bear
  24. bark — of a tree

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