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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 116 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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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: march · craft · wake · swing · object · straw · degree · rock

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. craft — boats
  3. rock — a stone
  4. march — the month
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. swing — to play on
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. swing — in golf
  10. wake — a trail
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. degree — temperature
  13. degree — an amount
  14. swing — music
  15. degree — from a university
  16. object — to protest
  17. object — an aim
  18. march — the month
  19. rock — music
  20. march — music
  21. craft — a skill
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. straw — dry grass

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