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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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Word bank
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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: pop · march · bass · swing · file · wind · ground · bound

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. march — the month
  3. pop — soda
  4. ground — the earth
  5. pop — to visit
  6. march — the month
  7. swing — music
  8. file — a line of people
  9. march — music
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bass — the fish
  12. pop — music
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bound — certain
  15. file — a document
  16. bass — low music
  17. bound — tied together
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — moving air
  20. ground — a position
  21. swing — in golf
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. ground — crushed
  24. file — a tool

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