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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 · bass · field · suit · march · swing · row · bound

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. pop — music
  4. bound — tied together
  5. row — to paddle
  6. field — farmland
  7. field — for sport
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. suit — to fit
  10. bass — the fish
  11. swing — in golf
  12. bound — certain
  13. suit — clothes
  14. bass — low music
  15. march — the month
  16. row — a line
  17. pop — soda
  18. pop — to visit
  19. bound — obliged
  20. swing — music
  21. field — a subject
  22. march — the month
  23. swing — to play on
  24. suit — in cards

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