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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
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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: saw · clip · rest · chest · mug · bass · content · wake

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. mug — a face
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. clip — to cut
  5. bass — low music
  6. wake — a trail
  7. content — the amount
  8. rest — a break
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. content — happy
  11. clip — a video
  12. saw — the tool
  13. rest — what's left
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. mug — a cup
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. bass — the fish
  18. chest — a box
  19. mug — to rob
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. rest — what's left
  23. clip — for paper
  24. chest — of your body

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