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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. spell — letters
  6. spell — a short time
  7. wind — moving air
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. bass — the fish
  12. rock — music
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. clip — to cut
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. bass — low music
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. stem — to come from
  21. rock — a stone
  22. wind — moving air
  23. spell — magic
  24. clip — a video

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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