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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. track — to keep track
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. clip — a video
  5. stand — to bear
  6. clip — to cut
  7. saw — the tool
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. track — a song
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. vault — a safe
  13. pop — soda
  14. wax — to grow
  15. plane — a tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. pop — music
  20. track — a path
  21. clip — for paper
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. pop — to visit
  24. plane — in geometry

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