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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 116 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 · patient · saw · ground · swing · wake · stick · rush

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. swing — in golf
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. saw — the tool
  5. ground — crushed
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. ground — the earth
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. wake — a trail
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. bass — the fish
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. swing — music
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. rush — hurry
  22. saw — the tool
  23. swing — to play on
  24. ground — a position

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