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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: leaves · plane · mate · scale · nail · pound · stand · clip

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. mate — to breed
  5. clip — a video
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. scale — size or range
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. pound — a weight
  14. mate — a partner
  15. stand — to bear
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. scale — in music
  20. clip — to cut
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. plane — a tool
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. clip — for paper

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