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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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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: pop · chair · fork · kid · bass · club · trunk · present

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. present — the time now
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. kid — to tease
  5. present — a gift
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. present — there
  8. pop — soda
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. kid — child
  11. bass — the fish
  12. club — for golf
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. club — for dancing
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. fork — in a road
  18. chair — a leader
  19. pop — music
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. bass — low music
  22. pop — to visit
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. chair — a professorship

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