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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: cell · last · foot · clip · wave · saw · bass · wind

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. saw — the tool
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. last — finally
  10. clip — a video
  11. foot — a measure
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. last — to go on
  14. cell — a phone
  15. bass — the fish
  16. last — final
  17. clip — for paper
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. bass — low music
  22. saw — the tool
  23. clip — to cut
  24. cell — in biology

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