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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 120 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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. key — the most important part
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. plane — a tool
  6. clip — a video
  7. clip — to cut
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. degree — an amount
  11. degree — temperature
  12. face — part of the head
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. face — to point toward
  18. prune — to trim
  19. degree — from a university
  20. face — to confront
  21. clip — for paper
  22. key — in music
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. prune — to trim

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