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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. clip — for paper
  3. ground — crushed
  4. bass — low music
  5. ground — the earth
  6. rock — a stone
  7. clip — to cut
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. bank — for money
  11. bank — for money
  12. fall — to drop
  13. swing — to play on
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — the season
  16. swing — music
  17. clip — a video
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. rock — music
  20. swing — in golf
  21. bass — the fish
  22. ground — a position
  23. bank — of a river
  24. rock — to move gently

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