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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. swing — music
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bass — the fish
  5. swing — to play on
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bound — certain
  10. swing — in golf
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. branch — a division
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bound — tied together
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. charge — a price
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. charge — electricity
  21. bass — low music
  22. charge — in control
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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