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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: present · lie · cell · mine · stock · bass · bark · mark

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. present — a gift
  3. mark — a trace
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. bass — the fish
  7. stock — goods
  8. lie — to recline
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. bass — low music
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. cell — in biology
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. present — there
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. mark — a grade
  19. mine — for digging
  20. stock — shares
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. bark — to shout
  23. cell — a phone
  24. present — the time now

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