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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 116 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: ball · wind · plane · content · current · row · clip · stick

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. current — happening now
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. row — to paddle
  5. content — happy
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. current — of water
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. wind — moving air
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. row — a line
  13. clip — for paper
  14. wind — moving air
  15. plane — a tool
  16. ball — a great time
  17. content — the amount
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. clip — a video
  21. current — electric
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. ball — a dance
  24. clip — to cut

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