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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. clip — a video
  3. dip — to sink
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. season — in sport
  7. rash — hasty
  8. prune — to trim
  9. plane — a tool
  10. capital — money
  11. shower — to wash
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. rash — a series
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. clip — for paper
  17. shower — rain
  18. prune — to trim
  19. season — of the year
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. capital — a city
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. clip — to cut
  24. prune — the fruit

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