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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: club · face · prune · hide · mouse · clip · bass · track

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. bass — low music
  3. club — for dancing
  4. bass — the fish
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. club — a group
  7. prune — to trim
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. prune — to trim
  11. track — a path
  12. track — to keep track
  13. face — part of the head
  14. clip — a video
  15. clip — for paper
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. face — to point toward
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. track — a song
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. clip — to cut
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. club — for golf

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