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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 120 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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. chest — of your body
  3. band — a music group
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. chest — a box
  6. swing — to play on
  7. bass — low music
  8. chest — of your body
  9. swing — in golf
  10. dip — to sink
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. field — a subject
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bass — the fish
  16. perch — the fish
  17. can — a tin
  18. band — a ring
  19. swing — music
  20. field — for sport
  21. field — farmland
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. can — a tin

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