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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: kid · pound · wave · bass · clip · leaves · can · stem

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. can — to be able to
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. pound — a weight
  8. kid — child
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. can — a tin
  11. bass — the fish
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. can — a tin
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. clip — for paper
  17. stem — to come from
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. kid — to tease
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. bass — low music
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. clip — a video
  24. wave — with your hand

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