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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: rush · sharp · bowl · mine · clip · plane · saw · stem

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. saw — the tool
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. sharp — clever
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. clip — to cut
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. clip — for paper
  12. rush — hurry
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. mine — for digging
  15. saw — the tool
  16. plane — a tool
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. stem — to come from
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. clip — a video
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. bowl — a dish

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