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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 116 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: cold · bass · bark · stick · key · rash · club · squash

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. bass — low music
  3. bark — to shout
  4. club — for golf
  5. cold — not warm
  6. key — the most important part
  7. rash — hasty
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. rash — a series
  14. key — for a lock
  15. squash — the sport
  16. club — for dancing
  17. club — a group
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. squash — to crush
  20. key — in music
  21. cold — an illness
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. bass — the fish

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