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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 120 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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. rock — music
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bass — the fish
  7. track — to keep track
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. rock — a stone
  10. track — a path
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. branch — a division
  14. clip — a video
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. track — a song
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bass — low music
  20. clip — for paper
  21. clip — to cut
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. wound — an injury

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