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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: bark · spring · chip · jam · stock · rash · ruler · face

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. spring — the season
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. face — to point toward
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. face — to confront
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. stock — shares
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. chip — to eat
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. spring — a coil
  14. rash — hasty
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. bark — to shout
  18. spring — of water
  19. chip — for betting
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. rash — a series
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. face — part of the head
  24. rash — on the skin

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