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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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. bass — the instrument
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. squash — the sport
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. tear — to rip
  9. band — a ring
  10. tear — from crying
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. stand — to bear
  15. squash — to crush
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. tear — from crying
  18. swing — in golf
  19. saw — the tool
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. swing — music
  22. saw — the tool
  23. band — a music group
  24. bass — the fish

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