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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: hide · staff · clip · cell · plane · stick

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. cell — in biology
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. plane — a tool
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. staff — a stick
  10. staff — employees
  11. clip — a video
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. clip — to cut
  15. staff — employees
  16. cell — a phone
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. clip — for paper

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