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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: club · wind · mark · hand · bay · bass · prune · swing

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. prune — to trim
  4. club — a group
  5. mark — a trace
  6. club — for dancing
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. prune — to trim
  10. hand — help
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bass — low music
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. mark — a grade
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. swing — music
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. swing — in golf
  20. wind — moving air
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. swing — to play on
  23. club — for golf
  24. bass — the instrument

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