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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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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 · mine · suit · stock · race · lie · swing · bass

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. suit — to fit
  3. bass — low music
  4. bass — the fish
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. race — the arms race
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. stock — goods
  10. race — humankind
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. lie — to recline
  13. swing — music
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. swing — in golf
  16. mine — for digging
  17. suit — in cards
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. stock — shares
  20. suit — clothes
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. race — a contest
  24. swing — to play on

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