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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: bass · clip · trunk · drill · leaves · mug · staff · rash

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. drill — the tool
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. drill — army training
  6. clip — to cut
  7. staff — employees
  8. clip — a video
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. mug — a cup
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. rash — hasty
  13. mug — to rob
  14. bass — low music
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. clip — for paper
  18. mug — a face
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. staff — employees
  22. drill — a practice
  23. rash — a series
  24. staff — a stick

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