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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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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: trunk · swing · band · pop · rock · sharp · jam · kick

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. swing — in golf
  3. rock — music
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. sharp — clever
  6. band — a music group
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. pop — music
  12. swing — to play on
  13. pop — to visit
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. swing — music
  16. pop — soda
  17. rock — a stone
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. band — a ring
  20. kick — in football
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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