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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. last — to go on
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bark — to shout
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bank — for money
  9. last — finally
  10. kid — to tease
  11. last — final
  12. wind — moving air
  13. pass — a permit
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. kid — child
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bank — for money
  20. swing — to play on
  21. bank — of a river
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. swing — music
  24. pass — to spend time

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