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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.

Make a worksheet

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: row · season · stick · plane · jam · clip · saw · content

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. season — in sport
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. clip — for paper
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. content — happy
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. clip — a video
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. row — a line
  15. clip — to cut
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. row — to paddle
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. season — of the year
  22. plane — a tool
  23. content — the amount
  24. season — to add flavour

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