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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: row · bat · craft · deal · swing · leaves · bark · cap

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. bat — the animal
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. craft — a skill
  6. row — a line
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. swing — to play on
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. deal — to handle
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. row — to paddle
  16. cap — a lid
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. craft — boats
  20. cap — of ice
  21. bark — to shout
  22. cap — a hat
  23. swing — in golf
  24. leaves — of a tree

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