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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. wind — moving air
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. can — a tin
  7. saw — the tool
  8. sharp — clever
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. wind — moving air
  11. plane — a tool
  12. bank — for money
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. bank — of a river
  15. clip — for paper
  16. can — to be able to
  17. dip — to sink
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bank — for money
  23. clip — to cut
  24. can — a tin

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