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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: face · swing · can · wake · rush · chest · straw · bass

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. can — to be able to
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. chest — of your body
  6. swing — in golf
  7. wake — a trail
  8. swing — to play on
  9. can — a tin
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. rush — hurry
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. face — to confront
  15. bass — low music
  16. chest — of your body
  17. chest — a box
  18. can — a tin
  19. bass — the fish
  20. face — part of the head
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. face — to point toward
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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