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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: tube · row · band · jam · wind · saw · clip · race

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. tube — the underground
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. saw — the tool
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. band — a music group
  9. band — a ring
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. wind — moving air
  12. tube — a container
  13. row — to paddle
  14. row — a line
  15. wind — moving air
  16. saw — the tool
  17. clip — for paper
  18. race — the arms race
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. race — humankind
  21. race — a contest
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. clip — to cut
  24. jam — to spread on 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