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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
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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: clip · bound · dip · leaves · wind · bass · plane · fine

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bass — low music
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bound — obliged
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. fine — high quality
  9. wind — moving air
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. clip — a video
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. fine — all right
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. clip — for paper
  17. dip — to sink
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. bound — certain
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. clip — to cut
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. leaves — of a tree

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