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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bass — the fish
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. pop — soda
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. pop — music
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. swing — music
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. pop — to visit
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. swing — to play on
  15. branch — a division
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. swing — in golf

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