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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. pitch — completely
  3. content — the amount
  4. branch — a division
  5. clip — to cut
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. bass — the fish
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. clip — for paper
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. clip — a video
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. bass — low music
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. content — happy
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. wave — of the sea

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