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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: bass · saw · tube · hand · coach · wave · swing · can

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. bass — the fish
  4. hand — in cards
  5. hand — help
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. can — to be able to
  8. swing — to play on
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. tube — a container
  13. saw — the tool
  14. can — a tin
  15. bass — low music
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. saw — the tool
  18. swing — in golf
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. can — a tin
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. swing — music
  23. tube — the underground
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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