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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: bark · rash · fork · stock · field · stem · swing · board

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. fork — in a road
  3. swing — in golf
  4. field — farmland
  5. board — a committee
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. stock — goods
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. stem — to come from
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. stock — shares
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. field — for sport
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. rash — hasty
  18. bark — to shout
  19. board — to get on
  20. rash — a series
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. swing — music
  24. swing — to play on

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