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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: last · bark · swing · bass · mark · chip · patient · pop

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. mark — a trace
  4. swing — music
  5. bass — the fish
  6. pop — to visit
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bass — low music
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bark — to shout
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. pop — music
  13. mark — a grade
  14. pop — soda
  15. last — finally
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. chip — to eat
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. swing — in golf
  20. last — final
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. chip — for betting
  23. swing — to play on
  24. chip — in a computer

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