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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. rash — hasty
  6. plane — a tool
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mate — a friend
  10. clip — for paper
  11. tube — a container
  12. bass — the fish
  13. mate — a partner
  14. mate — to breed
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. bass — low music
  17. tube — the underground
  18. clip — to cut
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. stem — to come from
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. rash — a series
  24. plane — an aircraft

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