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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. clip — to cut
  4. bass — low music
  5. object — to protest
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. rest — what's left
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. mug — a face
  10. object — an aim
  11. mug — a cup
  12. clip — a video
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. spring — a coil
  15. mug — to rob
  16. rest — a break
  17. rest — what's left
  18. object — a thing
  19. clip — for paper
  20. snap — to click
  21. bass — the fish
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. plane — a tool
  24. spring — the season

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