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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: swing · firm · squash · board · stock · face · straw · bark

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. swing — in golf
  3. swing — music
  4. stock — shares
  5. firm — a company
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. stock — goods
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. bark — to shout
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. face — part of the head
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. face — to confront
  16. firm — steady
  17. board — a committee
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. swing — to play on
  20. squash — the sport
  21. squash — to crush
  22. face — to point toward
  23. firm — decided
  24. board — to get 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