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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. bass — the fish
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. snap — to click
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. prune — to trim
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. net — in sport
  10. rock — music
  11. hand — in cards
  12. prune — to trim
  13. plane — a tool
  14. net — after costs
  15. net — for catching
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. swing — in golf
  19. hand — help
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. rock — a stone
  23. bass — low music
  24. swing — music

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