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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.

Make a worksheet

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: date · bass · suit · prune · wind · safe · clip · shower

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — moving air
  4. clip — a video
  5. suit — clothes
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. prune — to trim
  9. clip — to cut
  10. date — the fruit
  11. suit — in cards
  12. shower — to wash
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. bass — low music
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. shower — rain
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bass — the fish
  20. prune — to trim
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. suit — to fit
  24. safe — out of danger

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