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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. roll — a list
  4. rock — a stone
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. chest — of your body
  7. swing — to play on
  8. bank — of a river
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. craft — a skill
  12. pound — a weight
  13. bass — low music
  14. bass — the fish
  15. roll — a cake
  16. craft — boats
  17. bank — for money
  18. swing — music
  19. chest — a box
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. swing — in golf
  23. bank — for money
  24. chest — of your body

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