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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: clip · pop · rock · arm · plane · spell · fine · ground

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. rock — music
  4. spell — a short time
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. pop — to visit
  7. ground — crushed
  8. pop — soda
  9. ground — the earth
  10. spell — magic
  11. spell — letters
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. clip — for paper
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. rock — a stone
  17. ground — a position
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. fine — high quality
  20. clip — a video
  21. clip — to cut
  22. pop — music
  23. fine — all right
  24. plane — a tool

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