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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: plane · drill · bound · chest · bass · rock · race · clip

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bass — the fish
  5. rock — music
  6. plane — a tool
  7. bound — certain
  8. drill — army training
  9. chest — of your body
  10. drill — a practice
  11. rock — a stone
  12. clip — to cut
  13. race — humankind
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bass — low music
  16. clip — a video
  17. chest — a box
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. race — a contest
  20. race — the arms race
  21. clip — for paper
  22. drill — the tool
  23. bound — tied together
  24. plane — in geometry

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