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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. hand — in cards
  3. march — music
  4. march — the month
  5. scale — size or range
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. bank — for money
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. clip — a video
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. clip — for paper
  16. march — the month
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. scale — in music
  19. clip — to cut
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. bank — of a river
  22. hand — help
  23. bank — for money
  24. plane — in geometry

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