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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.

Make a worksheet

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: wound · clip · date · plane · temple · saw · straw · coach

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  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. wound — an injury
  2. clip — for paper
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. saw — the tool
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. clip — a video
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. date — the fruit
  16. saw — the tool
  17. plane — a tool
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. plane — in geometry
  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