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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: march · stick · swing · spell · lash · track · can · rash

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. spell — letters
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. march — music
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rash — hasty
  7. can — to be able to
  8. can — a tin
  9. track — a path
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. track — to keep track
  12. march — the month
  13. march — the month
  14. rash — a series
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. can — a tin
  17. spell — a short time
  18. swing — to play on
  19. spell — magic
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. track — a song
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. swing — in golf
  24. lash — an eyelash

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