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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.

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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: season · rush · plane · clip · saw · mark · nail · date

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. season — in sport
  7. clip — to cut
  8. clip — for paper
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. mark — a grade
  13. plane — a tool
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. rush — hurry
  18. season — of the year
  19. saw — the tool
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. date — the fruit
  22. saw — the tool
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. clip — a video

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