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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: kid · bass · swing · press · bank · wave

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. swing — music
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. bass — low music
  6. swing — to play on
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. kid — child
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bank — for money
  12. swing — in golf
  13. press — newspapers
  14. bank — of a river
  15. bank — for money
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. kid — to tease
  18. press — to push

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