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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: bass · calf · club · branch · ground · bulb · swing · land

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. bulb — for light
  4. swing — in golf
  5. branch — a division
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. club — for golf
  8. swing — to play on
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. club — a group
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. land — a country
  13. bulb — for light
  14. ground — a position
  15. swing — music
  16. land — ground
  17. ground — the earth
  18. land — to come down
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bass — low music
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. club — for dancing

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