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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: toast · saw · wave · fan · fork · pitcher · bass · clip

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. bass — low music
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. fork — in a road
  8. toast — bread
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bass — the fish
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. clip — for paper
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. saw — the tool
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. clip — a video
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. clip — to cut
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pitcher — a jug

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