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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: safe · wake · bass · face · press · clip · perch · bound

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. face — to point toward
  4. bass — the fish
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. press — to push
  7. perch — the fish
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bound — certain
  12. bass — low music
  13. clip — to cut
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. bound — obliged
  16. face — part of the head
  17. press — newspapers
  18. clip — for paper
  19. face — to confront
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. clip — a video
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. bound — tied together
  24. wake — a trail

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