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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. bound — tied together
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. plane — a tool
  8. bound — certain
  9. fork — in a road
  10. band — a ring
  11. track — a song
  12. clip — to cut
  13. band — a music group
  14. track — to keep track
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. bound — obliged
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. clip — for paper
  20. clip — a video
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. coach — a trainer

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