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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: straw · calf · pit · lash · clip · plane · press · drill

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  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. plane — an aircraft
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. press — to push
  5. plane — a tool
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. clip — to cut
  11. pit — in a race
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. drill — a practice
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. press — a publisher
  17. pit — a hole
  18. drill — the tool
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. drill — army training
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. press — newspapers
  23. clip — for paper
  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