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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: hide · stand · mug · club · swing · bass · trunk · roll

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. swing — to play on
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. swing — in golf
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. club — a group
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. club — for dancing
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. club — for golf
  14. bass — low music
  15. mug — to rob
  16. stand — to bear
  17. mug — a face
  18. roll — a cake
  19. mug — a cup
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. roll — a list
  23. swing — music
  24. trunk — of a car

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