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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: land · bass · swing · clip · nail · march · bank · firm

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. land — ground
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. march — the month
  5. land — to come down
  6. march — music
  7. swing — music
  8. land — a country
  9. clip — a video
  10. swing — in golf
  11. bank — of a river
  12. firm — a company
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. bank — for money
  15. clip — to cut
  16. bank — for money
  17. swing — to play on
  18. firm — steady
  19. clip — for paper
  20. firm — decided
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bass — low music
  24. march — the month

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