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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: wound · firm · plane · stock · fall · deal · pass · bark

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. plane — a tool
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. stock — goods
  5. fall — the season
  6. firm — a company
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. firm — decided
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. stock — shares
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. bark — to shout
  13. firm — steady
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. fall — to drop
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. deal — to handle
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wound — an injury
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. wound — an injury

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