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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.

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: swing · stock · perch · fine · tear · craft · pitcher · bark

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. swing — to play on
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. stock — goods
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. tear — from crying
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. fine — all right
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. perch — the fish
  11. craft — boats
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. stock — shares
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. bark — to shout
  16. swing — in golf
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. tear — to rip
  20. craft — a skill
  21. fine — high quality
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. swing — music

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