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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: wake · staff · season · ground · clip · kick · leaves · plane

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. season — in sport
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. ground — crushed
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. ground — the earth
  8. staff — employees
  9. clip — for paper
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. clip — to cut
  13. plane — a tool
  14. kick — in football
  15. season — of the year
  16. staff — employees
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. wake — a trail
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. ground — a position
  21. staff — a stick
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. leaves — lets stay

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