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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: wound · saw · present · bass · racket · chest · wind · pop

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. saw — the tool
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. bass — the fish
  5. present — the time now
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. pop — to visit
  10. chest — of your body
  11. wind — moving air
  12. chest — a box
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bass — low music
  19. saw — the tool
  20. present — a gift
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. pop — soda
  23. wound — an injury
  24. present — there

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