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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: bound · wake · clip · bass · board · cabinet · toast · ground

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bound — tied together
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. ground — a position
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. clip — to cut
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. toast — bread
  11. bound — certain
  12. clip — for paper
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. ground — the earth
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. ground — crushed
  17. board — a committee
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. bass — low music
  21. bass — the fish
  22. wake — a trail
  23. board — to get on
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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