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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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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: pitcher · swing · bat · tear · straw · bark · firm · ruler

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. firm — a company
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. swing — music
  5. bark — to shout
  6. swing — in golf
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. swing — to play on
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. firm — decided
  15. bat — the animal
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — to rip
  22. firm — steady
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. bat — for baseball

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