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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. clip — a video
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. fall — the season
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. file — a document
  8. bulb — for light
  9. fall — to drop
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. snap — to click
  13. plane — a tool
  14. bulb — for light
  15. file — a tool
  16. rock — music
  17. clip — to cut
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. clip — for paper
  20. fall — to drop
  21. rock — a stone
  22. file — a line of people
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. plane — an aircraft

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