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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.

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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: march · pitcher · fan · track · object · clip · wave · fine

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. object — an aim
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. clip — a video
  5. march — the month
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. fine — high quality
  8. fine — all right
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. clip — for paper
  11. track — a path
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. object — a thing
  15. clip — to cut
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. march — the month
  19. object — to protest
  20. track — a song
  21. track — to keep track
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. march — music
  24. fine — a penalty

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