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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. spring — of water
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. clip — for paper
  6. spring — a coil
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. deal — to handle
  12. clip — a video
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. lie — to recline
  15. wax — to grow
  16. clip — to cut
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. capital — money
  19. plane — a tool
  20. spring — the season
  21. capital — a city
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. capital — a big letter

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