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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 120 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: wave · wake · temple · ground · clip · field · object · bass

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. ground — a position
  3. ground — the earth
  4. field — a subject
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. object — an aim
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. object — to protest
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. object — a thing
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. field — farmland
  16. bass — the fish
  17. field — for sport
  18. clip — to cut
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. clip — for paper
  21. ground — crushed
  22. wake — a trail
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. clip — a video

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