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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 · fall · rest · current · cap · roll · jam · plane

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  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. rest — what's left
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. cap — a hat
  4. current — of water
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. clip — to cut
  7. current — electric
  8. fall — the season
  9. fall — to drop
  10. roll — a list
  11. clip — for paper
  12. rest — a break
  13. roll — a cake
  14. cap — a lid
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. cap — of ice
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. clip — a video
  21. rest — what's left
  22. current — happening now
  23. fall — to drop
  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