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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 120 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: bass · wave · scale · clip · arm · trunk · cold · charge

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. clip — a video
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. cold — not warm
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. cold — an illness
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. clip — to cut
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bass — low music
  19. charge — electricity
  20. scale — in music
  21. charge — in control
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. charge — a price
  24. clip — for paper

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