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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: bass · safe · sharp · plane · present · season · lean · clip

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. clip — a video
  4. bass — the fish
  5. lean — to bend
  6. lean — thin
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. present — a gift
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. season — of the year
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. sharp — clever
  15. present — the time now
  16. plane — a tool
  17. present — there
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. clip — to cut
  20. bass — low music
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. clip — for paper
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. lean — to rest against

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