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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. plane — a tool
  3. can — a tin
  4. hand — help
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. spring — of water
  8. spring — a coil
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — to be able to
  15. clip — to cut
  16. deal — to handle
  17. hand — in cards
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. clip — a video
  23. spring — the season
  24. calf — a young animal

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