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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
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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 · bass · tube · clip · nail · stem · pound · march

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. march — the month
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. march — the month
  5. pound — a weight
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. bass — the fish
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. clip — a video
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. bass — low music
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. march — music
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. tube — a container
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. stem — to come from
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. clip — to cut
  24. tube — the underground

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