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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.

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: bound · perch · mug · mark · stick · swing · stock · straw

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. bound — obliged
  3. mug — a face
  4. bound — tied together
  5. mug — to rob
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — the fish
  10. mark — a trace
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. swing — to play on
  14. swing — in golf
  15. mug — a cup
  16. mark — a grade
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. swing — music
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. stock — goods
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stock — shares
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. bound — certain

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