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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 120 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: last · swing · lean · net · track · fan · march · bound

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. bound — certain
  3. bound — tied together
  4. lean — thin
  5. net — for catching
  6. march — the month
  7. swing — in golf
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. last — final
  10. last — finally
  11. swing — to play on
  12. track — a song
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. track — to keep track
  15. march — the month
  16. net — after costs
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bound — obliged
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. lean — to bend
  21. net — in sport
  22. last — to go on
  23. swing — music
  24. march — music

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