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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 116 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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. swing — to play on
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. bass — low music
  5. prune — to trim
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. track — a song
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. snap — to click
  12. swing — in golf
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. rock — a stone
  15. track — to keep track
  16. lean — to bend
  17. bass — the fish
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. lean — thin
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. rock — music
  23. track — a path
  24. prune — to trim

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