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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.

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: mouse · squash · degree · clip · spring · plane · track · swing

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. clip — for paper
  4. spring — of water
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. spring — the season
  7. swing — in golf
  8. swing — music
  9. track — to keep track
  10. degree — temperature
  11. squash — to crush
  12. track — a song
  13. clip — a video
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. degree — an amount
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. track — a path
  18. spring — a coil
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. clip — to cut
  21. swing — to play on
  22. degree — from a university
  23. squash — the sport
  24. plane — an aircraft

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