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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 120 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: club · temple · kid · swing · march · racket · bulb · craft

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. 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. racket — a loud noise
  2. club — a group
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. march — the month
  5. craft — boats
  6. bulb — for light
  7. club — for golf
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. swing — to play on
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. swing — music
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. kid — child
  16. kid — to tease
  17. march — the month
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. march — music
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bulb — for light
  22. club — for dancing
  23. craft — a skill
  24. 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