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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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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: bore · band · face · clip · content · roll · rest · bass

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. bore — to drill
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. face — part of the head
  5. band — a ring
  6. roll — a list
  7. bass — low music
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — a break
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. clip — a video
  13. clip — to cut
  14. content — the amount
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. band — a music group
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. roll — a cake
  19. bass — the fish
  20. clip — for paper
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. face — to confront
  23. face — to point toward
  24. content — happy

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