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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: mine · ruler · stock · bark · deal · date · fine · last

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. fine — high quality
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. last — finally
  6. last — to go on
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. fine — all right
  14. stock — shares
  15. mine — for digging
  16. date — the fruit
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. deal — to handle
  19. stock — goods
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. bark — to shout
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. date — on the calendar

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