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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: land · fork · safe · stick · straw · clip · bore · bass

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. land — ground
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. bass — the fish
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. land — to come down
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. land — a country
  11. bass — low music
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. bore — to tire
  15. clip — for paper
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. fork — in a road
  21. clip — a video
  22. clip — to cut
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. bore — to drill

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