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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: cue · fine · bass · plane · swing · bark · mark · wound

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. cue — a hint
  4. fine — all right
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. swing — music
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. cue — for pool
  10. mark — a grade
  11. bass — low music
  12. cue — a signal
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. fine — high quality
  16. plane — a tool
  17. mark — a trace
  18. bark — to shout
  19. bass — the fish
  20. wound — an injury
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. swing — in golf
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. plane — an aircraft

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