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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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. tube — a container
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. bulb — for light
  8. kick — in football
  9. bulb — for light
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. scale — size or range
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. saw — the tool
  16. tube — the underground
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. clip — to cut
  19. clip — for paper
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. saw — the tool
  23. clip — a video
  24. scale — in music

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