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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  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 — an aircraft
  2. staff — employees
  3. clip — to cut
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. mark — a grade
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. content — happy
  9. staff — a stick
  10. plane — a tool
  11. wax — to grow
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. staff — employees
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. press — newspapers
  16. content — the amount
  17. mark — a trace
  18. press — a publisher
  19. press — to push
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. deal — to handle
  22. clip — for paper
  23. mark — to pay attention
  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