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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: root · kid · club · stock · bark · swing · deal · can

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. bark — to shout
  3. root — of a plant
  4. can — a tin
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. deal — to handle
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. kid — child
  9. club — for dancing
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. swing — to play on
  12. root — of a word
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. swing — in golf
  16. stock — shares
  17. stock — goods
  18. club — for golf
  19. swing — music
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. can — a tin
  22. root — the cause
  23. club — a group
  24. can — to be able to

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