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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: mate · safe · jam · foot · band · land · clip · fan

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. mate — to breed
  4. band — a music group
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. land — a country
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. mate — a friend
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. foot — a measure
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. mate — a partner
  14. land — to come down
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. band — a ring
  17. clip — to cut
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. land — ground
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. clip — for paper
  24. jam — a tight spot

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