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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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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: plane · cue · arm · bay · clip · season · face · band

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. face — part of the head
  4. band — a ring
  5. plane — a tool
  6. cue — a signal
  7. clip — to cut
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. clip — a video
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. face — to confront
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. face — to point toward
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. clip — for paper
  18. season — in sport
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. cue — for pool
  21. cue — a hint
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. band — a music group

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