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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: bark · swing · stock · rash · clip · rush · bowl · trunk

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. swing — in golf
  4. clip — a video
  5. clip — for paper
  6. swing — to play on
  7. stock — shares
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. bark — to shout
  10. clip — to cut
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. stock — goods
  20. rash — a series
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. rush — hurry
  23. rash — hasty
  24. rush — to hurry

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