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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. clip — for paper
  4. plane — a tool
  5. clip — to cut
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. deal — to handle
  10. clip — a video
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. field — for sport
  13. staff — employees
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. branch — a division
  17. field — a subject
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. field — farmland
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. staff — a stick
  23. stand — to bear
  24. staff — employees

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