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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: object · clip · hand · coach · wake · plane · foot · content

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. plane — a tool
  3. clip — for paper
  4. wake — a trail
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. hand — in cards
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. hand — help
  10. content — the amount
  11. object — an aim
  12. clip — a video
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. object — a thing
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. foot — a measure
  18. content — happy
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. clip — to cut
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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