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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: plane · band · bass · clip · dip · current · jam · spell

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. band — a ring
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. current — electric
  6. dip — to sink
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. spell — letters
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. current — happening now
  13. plane — a tool
  14. clip — a video
  15. bass — low music
  16. bass — the fish
  17. current — of water
  18. spell — a short time
  19. spell — magic
  20. band — a music group
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. clip — to cut
  24. dip — to dunk

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