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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.

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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: wound · fall · sharp · clip · plane · scale · tube · suit

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. clip — to cut
  3. plane — a tool
  4. wound — an injury
  5. suit — to fit
  6. tube — a container
  7. suit — clothes
  8. suit — in cards
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. fall — to drop
  13. scale — size or range
  14. fall — the season
  15. tube — the underground
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. sharp — clever
  18. fall — to drop
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. clip — for paper
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. clip — a video
  23. sharp — with an edge
  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