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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: tear · clip · plane · row · can · date · mate · saw

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. saw — the tool
  3. tear — to rip
  4. can — to be able to
  5. mate — a friend
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. tear — from crying
  8. can — a tin
  9. row — a line
  10. mate — to breed
  11. row — to paddle
  12. plane — a tool
  13. clip — to cut
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — the fruit
  16. mate — a partner
  17. clip — for paper
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. can — a tin
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. tear — from crying
  24. saw — the tool

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