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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: swing · content · bass · fall · band · suit · fork · stand

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. content — happy
  4. fork — in a road
  5. bass — the fish
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. suit — clothes
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. fall — the season
  10. content — the amount
  11. band — a ring
  12. stand — to bear
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. suit — to fit
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. swing — in golf
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bass — low music
  21. swing — to play on
  22. suit — in cards
  23. band — a music group
  24. fall — to drop

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