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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: ground · calf · wake · bass · swing · squash · band · land

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. squash — the sport
  3. band — a ring
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. ground — the earth
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. ground — crushed
  11. bass — low music
  12. squash — to crush
  13. land — ground
  14. bass — the fish
  15. band — a music group
  16. ground — a position
  17. swing — in golf
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. swing — to play on
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. land — to come down
  24. land — a country

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