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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. band — a ring
  3. band — a music group
  4. clip — a video
  5. clip — to cut
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. bass — low music
  9. stand — to bear
  10. bass — the fish
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. rush — hurry
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. clip — for paper
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. wake — a trail
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. lie — to recline

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