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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.

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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: wave · bark · chair · pop · club · hand · mug · stock

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. hand — help
  3. club — for dancing
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. chair — a leader
  6. pop — to visit
  7. pop — soda
  8. hand — in cards
  9. stock — goods
  10. mug — a cup
  11. bark — to shout
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. mug — to rob
  15. stock — shares
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. pop — music
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. club — a group
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. club — for golf
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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