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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: cap · bass · wave · pass · stick · hand · bat · clip

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. hand — in cards
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. cap — a lid
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bass — the fish
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. pass — a permit
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hand — help
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. cap — of ice
  18. bat — the animal
  19. clip — for paper
  20. clip — a video
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. cap — a hat
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. clip — to cut

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