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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. rest — what's left
  7. wind — moving air
  8. clip — to cut
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. wind — moving air
  11. land — ground
  12. land — a country
  13. land — to come down
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. rest — what's left
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. rest — a break
  19. chip — for betting
  20. plane — a tool
  21. chip — to eat
  22. clip — a video
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. leaves — to go away

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