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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. swing — to play on
  3. bass — the fish
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. swing — in golf
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. field — a subject
  11. stem — to come from
  12. bass — low music
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — help
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. plane — a tool
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. field — farmland
  22. field — for sport
  23. deal — to handle
  24. branch — a division

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