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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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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: pound · stock · snap · ruler · chair · lean · tube · swing

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. swing — to play on
  3. tube — a container
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. stock — shares
  6. stock — goods
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. lean — to bend
  12. snap — to click
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. swing — in golf
  17. lean — thin
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. swing — music
  22. chair — a leader
  23. pound — a weight
  24. tube — the underground

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