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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: season · bass · bat · racket · tube · swing · rest · band

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. swing — in golf
  4. rest — what's left
  5. band — a music group
  6. swing — to play on
  7. bass — low music
  8. season — of the year
  9. rest — a break
  10. tube — the underground
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. tube — a container
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. season — in sport
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. swing — music
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. bass — the fish
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. rest — what's left

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