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

Word bank: stick · wind · bark · swing · ground · club

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. ground — the earth
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. club — for dancing
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. ground — a position
  7. club — for golf
  8. bark — to shout
  9. wind — moving air
  10. swing — in golf
  11. swing — music
  12. swing — to play on
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. ground — crushed
  15. wind — moving air
  16. club — a group
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bark — a dog's sound

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