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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. clip — a video
  4. plane — a tool
  5. wound — an injury
  6. ground — crushed
  7. wound — an injury
  8. band — a ring
  9. clip — for paper
  10. stand — to bear
  11. rush — hurry
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. rash — hasty
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. rash — a series
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. band — a music group
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. clip — to cut
  24. ground — a position

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