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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: can · bark · cap · roll · plane · spell · stock · trunk

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. roll — a list
  3. stock — shares
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. cap — a hat
  9. cap — a lid
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. spell — a short time
  12. spell — magic
  13. can — to be able to
  14. roll — a cake
  15. bark — to shout
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. can — a tin
  18. spell — letters
  19. can — a tin
  20. plane — a tool
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. stock — goods
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. cap — of ice

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