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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · stock · wave · key · band · dip · swing · calf

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. band — a music group
  3. band — a ring
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. key — in music
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. swing — to play on
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. stock — goods
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. swing — in golf
  17. stock — shares
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. key — the most important part
  20. bark — to shout
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. swing — music
  24. dip — to sink

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