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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. track — a path
  3. clip — to cut
  4. plane — a tool
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. clip — for paper
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. land — a country
  9. land — ground
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. saw — the tool
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. land — to come down
  18. track — a song
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. branch — a division
  21. clip — a video
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. track — to keep track

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