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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: arm · march · scale · wound · bulb · swing · game · fork

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. march — the month
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. game — a match
  5. game — wild animals
  6. fork — in a road
  7. bulb — for light
  8. scale — in music
  9. swing — in golf
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. scale — size or range
  13. swing — music
  14. bulb — for light
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. march — the month
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — an injury
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. swing — to play on
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. fork — to eat with

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