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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 120 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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. clip — to cut
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. field — a subject
  5. field — for sport
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. clip — for paper
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. bound — certain
  11. bound — tied together
  12. field — farmland
  13. bound — obliged
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. mug — a cup
  16. swing — in golf
  17. mug — a face
  18. swing — to play on
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. mug — to rob
  21. foot — a measure
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. clip — a video
  24. swing — 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