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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: rock · mark · row · coach · plane · bark · stock · season

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. season — in sport
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. bark — to shout
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. rock — music
  9. season — of the year
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. plane — a tool
  15. row — a line
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. mark — a trace
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. stock — shares
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. rock — a stone
  22. mark — a grade
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. stock — goods

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