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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.

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: fan · rock · kick · lie · wake · march · swing · bark

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. wake — a trail
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. swing — to play on
  9. march — the month
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bark — to shout
  12. rock — music
  13. rock — a stone
  14. march — the month
  15. march — music
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. swing — music
  19. swing — in golf
  20. kick — in football
  21. lie — to recline
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. fan — to cool the air

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