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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: swing · march · bark · vault · bore · roll · press · rest

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. rest — what's left
  4. bore — to tire
  5. swing — to play on
  6. march — music
  7. swing — in golf
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bark — to shout
  11. roll — a cake
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. press — to push
  15. rest — what's left
  16. press — a publisher
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. vault — a safe
  19. rest — a break
  20. march — the month
  21. bore — to drill
  22. roll — a list
  23. press — newspapers
  24. swing — 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