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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
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: pitch · band · leaves · bass · clip · present · ruler · spell

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. clip — for paper
  3. present — the time now
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. clip — a video
  6. spell — letters
  7. spell — magic
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. present — there
  11. bass — the fish
  12. clip — to cut
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. spell — a short time
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. pitch — completely
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. band — a ring
  22. band — a music group
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. present — a gift

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