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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: branch · bass · bound · swing · pop · stand · straw · wax

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. stand — to bear
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. pop — soda
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bass — the fish
  7. swing — music
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. bound — certain
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. bound — obliged
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. wax — to grow
  17. pop — to visit
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. swing — to play on
  20. branch — a division
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. swing — in golf
  23. pop — music
  24. branch — of a tree

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