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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. clip — for paper
  3. net — for catching
  4. net — after costs
  5. net — in sport
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. clip — a video
  9. wake — a trail
  10. clip — to cut
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. face — to point toward
  13. deal — to handle
  14. prune — to trim
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. face — to confront
  17. rest — a break
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. rest — what's left
  22. face — part of the head
  23. plane — a tool
  24. wake — before a funeral

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