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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: saw · clip · hand · bass · file · leaves · press · wake

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. wake — a trail
  3. file — a tool
  4. press — newspapers
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. clip — for paper
  8. file — a line of people
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. saw — the tool
  11. file — a document
  12. clip — a video
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. hand — help
  15. hand — in cards
  16. press — to push
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bass — low music
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. press — a publisher
  23. clip — to cut
  24. leaves — lets stay

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