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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 116 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: stock · leaves · swing · racket · bass · spring · last · rest

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. swing — to play on
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. rest — what's left
  5. spring — the season
  6. spring — a coil
  7. spring — of water
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. last — final
  10. last — to go on
  11. bass — the fish
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. last — finally
  14. stock — shares
  15. swing — music
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. stock — goods
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. swing — in golf
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — a break

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