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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: swing · bass · firm · bank · key · cold · prune · bulb

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. firm — steady
  3. firm — decided
  4. key — in music
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. cold — not warm
  8. key — the most important part
  9. bass — low music
  10. firm — a company
  11. bank — for money
  12. bulb — for light
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bank — of a river
  15. cold — an illness
  16. bank — for money
  17. swing — in golf
  18. bulb — for light
  19. swing — music
  20. bass — the fish
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. prune — to trim
  23. key — for a lock
  24. swing — to play on

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