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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 116 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: band · spell · chair · sharp · swing · straw · bark · cabinet

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. swing — in golf
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. swing — to play on
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. sharp — clever
  10. chair — a leader
  11. spell — magic
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. spell — a short time
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. swing — music
  19. spell — letters
  20. band — a music group
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. band — a ring

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