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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 116 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 · mate · wax · bulb · last · tube · wake · clip

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. last — finally
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. last — final
  7. bulb — for light
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. wake — a trail
  10. bass — the fish
  11. clip — for paper
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. tube — the underground
  15. mate — a friend
  16. mate — to breed
  17. wax — to grow
  18. tube — a container
  19. mate — a partner
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bass — low music
  23. last — to go on
  24. clip — to cut

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