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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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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 · trunk · bark · wind · race · rule · rock · plane

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. rule — government
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. rule — a law
  6. swing — to play on
  7. swing — music
  8. rock — a stone
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. plane — a tool
  11. bark — to shout
  12. race — humankind
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. wind — moving air
  17. race — the arms race
  18. rock — music
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. race — a contest
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. wind — moving 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