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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. object — an aim
  3. clip — to cut
  4. object — to protest
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. kid — to tease
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. object — a thing
  10. can — a tin
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. clip — a video
  15. kid — child
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. can — to be able to
  19. stem — to come from
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. plane — a tool
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. can — a tin

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