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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 120 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: race · clip · foot · rush · field · plane · bass · temple

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. rush — hurry
  5. clip — a video
  6. bass — the fish
  7. race — the arms race
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. plane — a tool
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. foot — a measure
  13. field — farmland
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. clip — for paper
  16. race — a contest
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. race — humankind
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. bass — low music
  23. field — for sport
  24. field — a subject

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