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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.

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 · clip · drill · mate · hide · bound · mug · leaves

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. mate — a partner
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. drill — the tool
  6. bound — obliged
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. mug — a face
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bound — tied together
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. mug — to rob
  15. mate — a friend
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. drill — a practice
  18. clip — for paper
  19. mate — to breed
  20. mug — a cup
  21. clip — a video
  22. clip — to cut
  23. drill — army training
  24. bound — certain

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