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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: ball · clip · plane · board · trunk · rock · face · sharp

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. ball — a great time
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. face — part of the head
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. board — a committee
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. face — to point toward
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. sharp — clever
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. clip — for paper
  18. rock — music
  19. rock — a stone
  20. board — to get on
  21. face — to confront
  22. clip — a video
  23. ball — a dance
  24. plane — a 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