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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. row — to paddle
  4. wound — an injury
  5. stand — to bear
  6. bass — the fish
  7. swing — music
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. row — a line
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. wound — an injury
  13. swing — to play on
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. swing — in golf
  17. hand — in cards
  18. bass — low music
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. hand — help
  22. vault — a safe
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. bark — to shout

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