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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: race · swing · bark · suit · hand · spring · pass · march

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. spring — the season
  3. march — the month
  4. suit — to fit
  5. bark — to shout
  6. swing — music
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. race — humankind
  9. suit — clothes
  10. suit — in cards
  11. spring — a coil
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. march — the month
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. spring — of water
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. swing — in golf
  19. hand — in cards
  20. race — a contest
  21. pass — a permit
  22. march — music
  23. swing — to play on
  24. hand — help

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