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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.

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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: bound · fan · stick · mine · bark · stock · foot · current

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bound — tied together
  6. stock — goods
  7. current — electric
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bark — to shout
  11. stock — shares
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. current — happening now
  14. foot — a measure
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. bound — certain
  18. mine — for digging
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. current — of water
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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