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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. roll — a cake
  3. clip — for paper
  4. drill — a practice
  5. saw — the tool
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. plane — a tool
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. roll — a list
  10. clip — to cut
  11. drill — army training
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. ball — a dance
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. ball — a great time
  16. spring — of water
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. drill — the tool
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. spring — a coil
  22. spring — the season
  23. stem — to come from
  24. clip — a video

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