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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: wound · mouse · cabinet · cap · plane · mark · clip · rash

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. clip — to cut
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. rash — hasty
  5. plane — a tool
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. wound — an injury
  8. cap — a lid
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. clip — a video
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. rash — a series
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. cap — of ice
  18. mark — a grade
  19. wound — an injury
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. clip — for paper
  24. mark — a trace

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