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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: snap · bass · trunk · stand · stick · kid · date · club

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. kid — child
  5. snap — to click
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. bass — low music
  10. kid — to tease
  11. bass — the fish
  12. club — for golf
  13. club — for dancing
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. date — the fruit
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. stand — to bear

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