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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 116 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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. object — to protest
  5. spring — of water
  6. branch — a division
  7. bound — certain
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. spring — a coil
  12. clip — to cut
  13. bound — obliged
  14. current — happening now
  15. clip — for paper
  16. object — a thing
  17. current — electric
  18. plane — a tool
  19. bound — tied together
  20. spring — the season
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. clip — a video
  23. current — of water
  24. object — an aim

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