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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
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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: bear · drill · rash · track · stand · straw · date · swing

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. swing — in golf
  3. rash — hasty
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. swing — to play on
  7. stand — to bear
  8. date — the fruit
  9. track — to keep track
  10. drill — army training
  11. bear — the animal
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. rash — a series
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. track — a song
  17. drill — the tool
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. drill — a practice
  23. track — a path
  24. swing — 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