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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 116 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: swing · bank · march · rash · lash · sharp · fine · fall

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. march — music
  3. bank — for money
  4. fall — to drop
  5. rash — a series
  6. swing — music
  7. rash — hasty
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. fine — all right
  10. fine — high quality
  11. march — the month
  12. bank — of a river
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. march — the month
  16. fall — the season
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. sharp — clever
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. swing — in golf
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. swing — to play on
  24. bank — for money

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