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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. spell — a short time
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. branch — a division
  8. clip — for paper
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. row — to paddle
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. plane — a tool
  16. clip — to cut
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. spell — letters
  19. clip — a video
  20. spell — magic
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. row — a line

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