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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. stock — shares
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. bark — to shout
  5. stock — goods
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. firm — a company
  8. rash — hasty
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. stand — to bear
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. rash — a series
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. branch — a division
  17. firm — steady
  18. swing — music
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. firm — decided
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. date — the fruit
  24. swing — in golf

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