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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: bass · pass · lean · face · pound · current · clip · wound

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. face — to confront
  4. wound — an injury
  5. pass — a permit
  6. bass — the fish
  7. face — part of the head
  8. current — of water
  9. pound — a weight
  10. clip — for paper
  11. current — electric
  12. clip — a video
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. wound — an injury
  16. clip — to cut
  17. lean — thin
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. current — happening now
  21. face — to point toward
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. bass — low music
  24. lean — to bend

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