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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: plane · lean · degree · craft · dip · clip · wound · coach

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. clip — for paper
  3. lean — thin
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. plane — a tool
  6. clip — to cut
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. clip — a video
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. craft — boats
  12. degree — temperature
  13. dip — to sink
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. wound — an injury
  16. lean — to bend
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. degree — an amount
  20. wound — an injury
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. degree — from a university
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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