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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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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: fan · racket · file · march · leaves · swing · firm · bear

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. file — a document
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. march — the month
  8. firm — a company
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. file — a tool
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. firm — decided
  14. firm — steady
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. bear — the animal
  19. swing — in golf
  20. swing — music
  21. march — the month
  22. march — music
  23. swing — to play on
  24. bear — the animal

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