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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. bulb — for light
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. swing — music
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. press — a publisher
  7. band — a ring
  8. rush — hurry
  9. swing — in golf
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. press — newspapers
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. band — a music group
  15. bulb — for light
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. bass — low music
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bass — the fish
  21. press — to push
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. fork — in a road
  24. rush — a thrill

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