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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. spring — the season
  3. mark — a grade
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. clip — a video
  6. spring — a coil
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. clip — to cut
  10. rush — hurry
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. shower — to wash
  13. mark — a trace
  14. plane — a tool
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. spring — of water
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. shower — rain
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. clip — for paper
  22. snap — to click
  23. scale — size or range
  24. scale — in music

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