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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. mate — a friend
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. plane — a tool
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. clip — for paper
  11. clip — to cut
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. mate — a partner
  15. fall — to drop
  16. perch — the fish
  17. scale — size or range
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. fall — to drop
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. mate — to breed
  22. clip — a video
  23. scale — in music
  24. hide — to keep secret

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