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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 · rock · ground · stand · game · swing · drill · stem

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. stem — to come from
  3. ground — a position
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. drill — army training
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. drill — a practice
  8. game — wild animals
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. swing — music
  11. stand — to bear
  12. ground — crushed
  13. rock — music
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. ground — the earth
  17. drill — the tool
  18. bark — to shout
  19. rock — a stone
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. game — a match
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. swing — in golf
  24. stand — on your feet

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