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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: march · swing · suit · tear · bark · mine · rush · drill

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. swing — music
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. march — music
  6. rush — hurry
  7. tear — to rip
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. drill — the tool
  10. march — the month
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. tear — from crying
  14. march — the month
  15. drill — a practice
  16. drill — army training
  17. suit — clothes
  18. swing — in golf
  19. mine — for digging
  20. tear — from crying
  21. suit — to fit
  22. suit — in cards
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. swing — to play on

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