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

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. degree — temperature
  5. swing — in golf
  6. fine — high quality
  7. swing — music
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bass — low music
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. degree — an amount
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — the season
  17. swing — to play on
  18. bass — the fish
  19. degree — from a university
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. fine — all right

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