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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. swing — music
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. swing — to play on
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. land — to come down
  9. swing — in golf
  10. bass — low music
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. season — of the year
  13. pop — music
  14. land — a country
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bark — to shout
  17. land — ground
  18. bass — the fish
  19. stand — to bear
  20. pop — soda
  21. season — in sport
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. leaves — to go away

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