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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. pound — a weight
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. season — in sport
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. clip — a video
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. pitch — completely
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. clip — for paper
  18. stem — to come from
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. plane — a tool
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. season — of the year

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