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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: bass · club · lie · wound · prune · key · swing · rule

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. swing — in golf
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. wound — an injury
  6. club — a group
  7. key — the most important part
  8. bass — the fish
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. wound — an injury
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. club — for golf
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. bass — low music
  15. swing — to play on
  16. lie — to recline
  17. prune — to trim
  18. club — for dancing
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. key — for a lock
  21. swing — music
  22. prune — to trim
  23. rule — a law
  24. key — in music

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