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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: club · chest · stand · pitcher · wind · bass · board · jam

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. club — a group
  5. bass — low music
  6. board — a committee
  7. bass — the fish
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — a box
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. stand — to bear
  12. club — for golf
  13. club — for dancing
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. wind — moving air
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. chest — of your body
  18. board — to get on
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. wind — moving air
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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