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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 116 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: wound · bass · wave · swing · patient · fan · clip · wake

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. wake — a trail
  5. swing — music
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. clip — to cut
  9. bass — low music
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. wound — an injury
  13. clip — a video
  14. swing — to play on
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. clip — for paper
  20. bass — the fish
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. patient — a sick person

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