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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.

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: pound · bass · lash · wound · plane · safe · net · clip

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. net — after costs
  4. pound — a weight
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wound — an injury
  9. clip — for paper
  10. net — in sport
  11. wound — an injury
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. net — for catching
  14. clip — a video
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. bass — low music
  17. clip — to cut
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. plane — a tool
  22. bass — the fish
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. pound — to hit hard

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