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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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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: swing · stick · wound · fall · fork · straw · stock · rock

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. wound — an injury
  3. fall — to drop
  4. swing — music
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. stock — goods
  12. swing — in golf
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. stock — shares
  15. swing — to play on
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. wound — an injury
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — the season
  21. fork — in a road
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. rock — music
  24. straw — a straw man

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