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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. file — a document
  3. clip — a video
  4. bear — the animal
  5. mug — a cup
  6. mug — a face
  7. mug — to rob
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. clip — to cut
  10. file — a line of people
  11. plane — a tool
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. bear — the animal
  14. foot — a measure
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. saw — the tool
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. file — a tool
  24. saw — the tool

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