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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. current — of water
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. staff — employees
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — to cut
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. rash — a series
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. plane — a tool
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. current — happening now
  16. craft — a skill
  17. rash — hasty
  18. current — electric
  19. staff — a stick
  20. craft — boats
  21. band — a music group
  22. staff — employees
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. band — a ring

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