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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: bark · wave · swing · stock · staff · kick · last · pitcher

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. last — to go on
  4. staff — employees
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stock — goods
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. staff — employees
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. stock — shares
  12. last — final
  13. swing — in golf
  14. swing — music
  15. last — finally
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. swing — to play on
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. staff — a stick
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. kick — in football

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