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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. wound — an injury
  4. plane — a tool
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. clip — to cut
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. clip — a video
  13. wind — moving air
  14. pound — a weight
  15. cap — of ice
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. cap — a hat
  21. clip — for paper
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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