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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: fork · bass · clip · firm · last · bay · arm · wave

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. firm — steady
  4. clip — a video
  5. last — finally
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. last — final
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. firm — decided
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. bass — low music
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. clip — for paper
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. firm — a company
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. fork — in a road
  21. clip — to cut
  22. last — to go on
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. bass — the fish

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