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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. spell — letters
  3. clip — a video
  4. spell — a short time
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. suit — in cards
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. band — a ring
  10. clip — for paper
  11. band — a music group
  12. fine — all right
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. bore — to drill
  16. plane — a tool
  17. clip — to cut
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. suit — to fit
  21. suit — clothes
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. fine — high quality
  24. spell — magic

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