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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: charge · fork · plane · clip · mine · straw · squash · pop

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. charge — a price
  3. charge — in control
  4. charge — electricity
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. pop — to visit
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. mine — for digging
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. squash — the sport
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. pop — soda
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. clip — a video
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. clip — for paper
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. pop — music
  22. squash — to crush
  23. clip — to cut
  24. fork — in a road

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