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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: clip · wax · kick · land · coach · plane · bark · safe

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. land — a country
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. clip — to cut
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. clip — for paper
  8. wax — to grow
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. plane — a tool
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. kick — in football
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. clip — a video
  17. land — ground
  18. bark — to shout
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. wax — in the ear

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