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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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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: leaves · kick · plane · tube · deal · clip · perch · stick

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. clip — to cut
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. plane — a tool
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. perch — the fish
  16. deal — to handle
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. tube — a container
  19. kick — in football
  20. tube — the underground
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. clip — for paper
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. clip — a video

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