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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: bound · fall · clip · fork · safe · wax · bass · drill

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  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. drill — army training
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — the season
  5. bass — the fish
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bound — certain
  8. bound — tied together
  9. drill — the tool
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. drill — a practice
  12. clip — a video
  13. wax — to grow
  14. fall — to drop
  15. clip — for paper
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. bass — low music
  22. fork — in a road
  23. safe — out of danger
  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