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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. fork — in a road
  5. sharp — clever
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. plane — a tool
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — a tin
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. clip — to cut
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. clip — for paper
  18. bound — obliged
  19. can — to be able to
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. stem — to come from
  22. bound — tied together
  23. clip — a video
  24. fork — a garden tool

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