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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
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: tube · safe · rock · last · bass · ball · clip · wind

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. rock — music
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. last — final
  5. bass — the fish
  6. clip — to cut
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. ball — a dance
  9. ball — a great time
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. rock — a stone
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. clip — a video
  16. last — finally
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. bass — low music
  20. clip — for paper
  21. wind — moving air
  22. tube — the underground
  23. tube — a container
  24. last — to go on

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