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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.

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: fine · spring · plane · rule · clip · bass · march · drill

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. fine — high quality
  4. drill — the tool
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. drill — army training
  7. march — the month
  8. rule — government
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. bass — the fish
  11. spring — of water
  12. clip — to cut
  13. rule — a law
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. clip — a video
  16. march — the month
  17. drill — a practice
  18. march — music
  19. clip — for paper
  20. bass — low music
  21. plane — a tool
  22. spring — a coil
  23. fine — all right
  24. rule — to rule out

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