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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.

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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: pop · plane · lash · bark · deal · stock · game · straw

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. game — a match
  3. stock — shares
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. plane — a tool
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. pop — music
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. bark — to shout
  14. game — wild animals
  15. deal — to handle
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. stock — goods
  19. pop — soda
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. pop — to visit
  24. straw — dry grass

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