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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bank — for money
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. clip — for paper
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. clip — a video
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bark — to shout
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bank — of a river
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. clip — to cut
  18. bank — for money

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