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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.

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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: bowl · current · swing · land · clip · firm · fan · march

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. swing — music
  3. march — music
  4. land — to come down
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. march — the month
  7. swing — in golf
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. clip — to cut
  12. march — the month
  13. swing — to play on
  14. current — of water
  15. current — happening now
  16. land — ground
  17. land — a country
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. firm — a company
  20. clip — a video
  21. firm — steady
  22. current — electric
  23. clip — for paper
  24. firm — decided

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