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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · band · swing · craft · lie · rash · wake · coach

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. craft — a skill
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. swing — in golf
  9. rash — hasty
  10. bark — to shout
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. band — a music group
  17. band — a ring
  18. lie — to recline
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. wake — a trail
  22. swing — to play on
  23. rash — a series
  24. craft — boats

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