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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 · swing · pit · jam · charge · bass · wax · wound

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. charge — electricity
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. bass — low music
  7. swing — in golf
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. pit — in a race
  12. pit — a hole
  13. charge — in control
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. wax — to grow
  16. club — for dancing
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. club — for golf
  19. wound — an injury
  20. swing — to play on
  21. wound — an injury
  22. charge — a price
  23. swing — music
  24. club — a group

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