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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: leaves · nail · squash · track · swing · club · march · fall

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. march — the month
  3. fall — the season
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. fall — to drop
  8. club — for dancing
  9. swing — in golf
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. club — a group
  12. squash — the sport
  13. track — a path
  14. swing — music
  15. march — the month
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. track — to keep track
  18. club — for golf
  19. fall — to drop
  20. track — a song
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. swing — to play on
  23. march — music
  24. nail — for a hammer

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