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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: bass · tear · ball · date · wake · swing · fork · march

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. ball — a great time
  3. wake — a trail
  4. march — the month
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. march — the month
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. swing — in golf
  11. march — music
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. date — the fruit
  14. tear — from crying
  15. fork — in a road
  16. swing — to play on
  17. tear — from crying
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. ball — a dance
  20. bass — low music
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. swing — music
  23. tear — to rip
  24. ball — a round shape

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