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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. swing — music
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. swing — to play on
  6. swing — in golf
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. craft — a skill
  9. roll — a list
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. bass — the fish
  12. kid — child
  13. craft — boats
  14. kid — to tease
  15. bass — low music
  16. mug — a cup
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. drill — a practice
  20. roll — a cake
  21. drill — the tool
  22. mug — a face
  23. stem — to come from
  24. mug — to rob

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