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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: coach · content · wind · nail · lean · sharp · plane · clip

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. lean — thin
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. content — the amount
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. lean — to bend
  12. wind — moving air
  13. plane — a tool
  14. clip — for paper
  15. sharp — clever
  16. content — happy
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. clip — a video
  20. clip — to cut
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. wind — moving air
  24. nail — for a hammer

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