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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. clip — to cut
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. clip — a video
  8. plane — a tool
  9. clip — for paper
  10. staff — employees
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. track — a path
  13. chip — to eat
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. track — a song
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. staff — a stick
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bark — to shout
  20. staff — employees
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. track — to keep track
  24. chip — for betting

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