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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.

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: clip · plane · court · band · arm · hide · fan · fall

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. fall — to drop
  3. band — a ring
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. court — of a king
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. court — for sport
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. clip — a video
  11. court — of law
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. plane — a tool
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. band — a music group
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. clip — for paper
  23. clip — to cut
  24. fall — the season

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