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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 116 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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. pop — soda
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. can — to be able to
  6. plane — a tool
  7. rule — a law
  8. capital — a city
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. pop — music
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. rule — government
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. capital — money
  17. clip — a video
  18. rock — music
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — a tin
  21. pop — to visit
  22. clip — for paper
  23. rock — a stone
  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