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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: cold · suit · trunk · shower · swing · rock · dip · march

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  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. rock — to move gently
  2. rock — music
  3. shower — rain
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. suit — clothes
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. cold — not warm
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. swing — to play on
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. swing — music
  14. shower — to wash
  15. dip — to sink
  16. march — the month
  17. suit — to fit
  18. march — the month
  19. suit — in cards
  20. march — music
  21. rock — a stone
  22. cold — an illness
  23. cold — the Cold War
  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