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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: bark · tube · row · stock · swing · racket · rock · wax

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. tube — a container
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. row — a line
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. row — to paddle
  9. rock — a stone
  10. swing — to play on
  11. wax — to grow
  12. stock — shares
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. tube — the underground
  16. swing — in golf
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. rock — music
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. swing — music
  24. stock — goods

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