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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: clip · coach · content · bound · stick · wound · bass · drill

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. drill — army training
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. drill — a practice
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bound — certain
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. drill — the tool
  13. content — happy
  14. content — the amount
  15. wound — an injury
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bass — low music
  18. wound — an injury
  19. clip — to cut
  20. clip — a video
  21. bound — tied together
  22. clip — for paper
  23. bass — the fish
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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