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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: plane · chair · suit · perch · stem · bound · rule · clip

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. clip — a video
  3. rule — government
  4. suit — to fit
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. suit — in cards
  9. bound — obliged
  10. clip — to cut
  11. chair — a leader
  12. stem — to come from
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. clip — for paper
  16. rule — a law
  17. suit — clothes
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. plane — a tool
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. bound — certain
  23. perch — the fish
  24. rule — to rule out

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