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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: fall · pitcher · branch · foot · swing · hand · bass · chair

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. fall — the season
  3. bass — low music
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. fall — to drop
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. swing — in golf
  8. branch — a division
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. hand — in cards
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. hand — help
  13. bass — the fish
  14. swing — to play on
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. fall — to drop
  21. chair — a leader
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. foot — a measure
  24. pitcher — a jug

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