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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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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: object · wave · cold · stick · march · swing

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. object — a thing
  4. march — the month
  5. march — the month
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. march — music
  12. swing — to play on
  13. cold — an illness
  14. cold — not warm
  15. swing — music
  16. object — to protest
  17. object — an aim
  18. swing — in golf

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