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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: file · clip · suit · plane · pop · band · tear · squash

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. band — a music group
  4. tear — from crying
  5. squash — the sport
  6. tear — from crying
  7. plane — a tool
  8. pop — to visit
  9. tear — to rip
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. pop — soda
  12. squash — to crush
  13. suit — to fit
  14. clip — to cut
  15. file — a line of people
  16. pop — music
  17. file — a tool
  18. suit — in cards
  19. suit — clothes
  20. clip — for paper
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. file — a document
  23. band — a ring
  24. plane — an aircraft

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