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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. rest — a break
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. branch — a division
  6. row — to paddle
  7. wound — an injury
  8. clip — a video
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. rest — what's left
  11. plane — a tool
  12. rest — what's left
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. clip — for paper
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. row — a line
  17. clip — to cut
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. rush — hurry
  21. pop — soda
  22. wound — an injury
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. pop — music

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