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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. rock — music
  3. bark — to shout
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. rock — a stone
  8. swing — to play on
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. swing — in golf
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bass — low music
  13. capital — a city
  14. capital — money
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. bass — the fish
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. branch — a division
  24. bass — the instrument

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