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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: bound · mouse · stock · bark · straw · coach · capital · swing

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. stock — shares
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. swing — music
  9. bound — tied together
  10. swing — in golf
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. stock — goods
  14. capital — money
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. swing — to play on
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. capital — a city
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bound — certain
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — a trainer

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