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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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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: mouse · clip · tear · toast · pass · bass · trunk · snap

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. clip — to cut
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. clip — a video
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. pass — a permit
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. tear — to rip
  13. tear — from crying
  14. clip — for paper
  15. tear — from crying
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. snap — to click
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. bass — low music
  24. toast — bread

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