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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: wind · wave · safe · mouse · file · march · bass · stick

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. bass — low music
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. march — the month
  5. file — a document
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. march — music
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. bass — the fish
  13. file — a tool
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. file — a line of people
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — moving air
  24. march — the month

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