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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: ground · straw · bass · stock · bark · fan · chair · bowl

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bark — to shout
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. ground — crushed
  8. stock — shares
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. chair — a leader
  11. stock — goods
  12. bass — low music
  13. ground — a position
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. bass — the fish
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. ground — the earth

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