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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. swing — to play on
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. mate — to breed
  9. press — to push
  10. press — a publisher
  11. swing — music
  12. bank — for money
  13. kid — child
  14. bass — the fish
  15. mate — a partner
  16. mate — a friend
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. press — newspapers
  19. bank — for money
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. wake — a trail
  22. swing — in golf
  23. kid — to tease
  24. bank — of a river

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