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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 120 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 · wound · degree · nail · swing · squash · hand · rock

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. swing — in golf
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. wound — an injury
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. squash — to crush
  8. bass — low music
  9. degree — from a university
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. swing — music
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. rock — music
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. degree — an amount
  17. hand — in cards
  18. swing — to play on
  19. rock — a stone
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. degree — temperature
  22. squash — the sport
  23. bass — the fish
  24. wound — an injury

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