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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: land · bass · clip · temple · rock · ground · wake · mug

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. clip — for paper
  3. wake — a trail
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. rock — a stone
  6. bass — the fish
  7. mug — to rob
  8. ground — crushed
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. land — to come down
  11. land — a country
  12. ground — a position
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. mug — a face
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. bass — low music
  19. rock — music
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. clip — to cut
  22. land — ground
  23. clip — a video
  24. ground — the earth

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