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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: plane · cell · present · spell · wax · clip · ruler · sharp

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. cell — in biology
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. spell — magic
  5. spell — letters
  6. spell — a short time
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. present — a gift
  9. sharp — clever
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. cell — a phone
  12. clip — to cut
  13. present — the time now
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. plane — a tool
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. wax — to grow
  21. clip — for paper
  22. present — there
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. sharp — exactly

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