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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: hide · wave · fork · swing · march · fall

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. swing — music
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. fall — to drop
  6. march — the month
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. fork — in a road
  10. fall — the season
  11. fall — to drop
  12. swing — in golf
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. march — the month
  18. march — music

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