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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: track · bay · rash · bass · branch · clip · saw · ground

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. track — a path
  5. ground — crushed
  6. clip — to cut
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. track — a song
  10. ground — the earth
  11. bass — low music
  12. rash — hasty
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. branch — a division
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. clip — for paper
  19. ground — a position
  20. rash — a series
  21. track — to keep track
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bay — a part 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