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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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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. board — a committee
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. clip — to cut
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. pitch — completely
  7. clip — a video
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bass — the fish
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. craft — a skill
  12. clip — for paper
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. craft — boats
  19. branch — a division
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. board — to get on
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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