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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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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: temple · wind · swing · straw · bark · march · ruler · fan

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. wind — moving air
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. march — the month
  5. swing — in golf
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. march — the month
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bark — to shout
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. swing — to play on
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. march — music
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — to turn a key

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