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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: lash · staff · wake · bark · straw · stock · swing · deal

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. staff — employees
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. staff — employees
  8. swing — in golf
  9. staff — a stick
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. stock — goods
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stock — shares
  16. deal — to handle
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. wake — a trail
  20. swing — to play on
  21. bark — to shout
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. lash — to lash out

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