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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: jam · bass · clip · tube · pitcher · bat · bay · wake

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. tube — a container
  3. clip — a video
  4. bass — the fish
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. tube — the underground
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. bass — low music
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bat — the animal
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. wake — a trail
  19. clip — for paper
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bat — in an idiom

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