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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: deal · swing · straw · bound · march · rush · bark · drill

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. swing — music
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. bound — certain
  7. drill — the tool
  8. drill — a practice
  9. swing — to play on
  10. march — music
  11. bound — obliged
  12. swing — in golf
  13. march — the month
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. march — the month
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. rush — hurry
  20. drill — army training
  21. bound — tied together
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. deal — to handle
  24. rush — a thrill

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