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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: bass · lean · ruler · cabinet · track · saw · wake · clip

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. clip — to cut
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. track — a song
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. bass — the fish
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. track — a path
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. clip — for paper
  13. wake — a trail
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. bass — low music
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — the tool
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. clip — a video
  22. lean — to bend
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. lean — thin

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