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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 · band · mouse · safe · bear · shower · root

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. shower — to wash
  5. bear — the animal
  6. shower — rain
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. root — of a plant
  9. clip — to cut
  10. root — of a word
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. clip — for paper
  13. root — the cause
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. band — a ring
  17. clip — a video
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. band — a music group
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bass — low music

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