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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 120 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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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: swing · cue · tube · wax · bark · stock · stick · snap

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. wax — to grow
  3. snap — to click
  4. stock — shares
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. stock — goods
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. swing — in golf
  10. cue — for pool
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. bark — to shout
  13. tube — a container
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. cue — a signal
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. swing — music
  19. tube — the underground
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. cue — a hint

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