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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
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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 · land · fork · arm · march · spring · staff · coach

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. land — to come down
  3. march — the month
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. staff — a stick
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. fork — in a road
  8. spring — a coil
  9. swing — to play on
  10. staff — employees
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. spring — of water
  13. land — a country
  14. swing — music
  15. march — music
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. spring — the season
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. staff — employees
  22. march — the month
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. land — ground

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