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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. wound — an injury
  3. clip — for paper
  4. vault — a safe
  5. content — happy
  6. pound — a weight
  7. plane — a tool
  8. content — the amount
  9. wound — an injury
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. root — of a word
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. clip — to cut
  15. clip — a video
  16. firm — a company
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. root — the cause
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. firm — steady
  23. root — of a plant
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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