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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: wave · plane · perch · pitch · ball · clip · stock · fall

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. fall — to drop
  6. clip — to cut
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. ball — a dance
  9. fall — to drop
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. pitch — completely
  12. clip — a video
  13. stock — goods
  14. plane — a tool
  15. fall — the season
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. ball — a great time
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. stock — shares
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. perch — the fish
  22. clip — for paper
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. plane — in geometry

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