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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. swing — in golf
  3. swing — music
  4. stock — goods
  5. drill — the tool
  6. wound — an injury
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. drill — a practice
  9. ground — a position
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. ground — crushed
  17. swing — to play on
  18. drill — army training
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. ground — the earth
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. bass — low music
  24. stock — shares

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