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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 120 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 · dip · plane · spring · court · charge · face · coach

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. charge — a price
  5. spring — of water
  6. clip — for paper
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. charge — electricity
  9. dip — to sink
  10. court — of law
  11. charge — in control
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. spring — a coil
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. clip — to cut
  16. clip — a video
  17. face — part of the head
  18. face — to confront
  19. court — for sport
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. spring — the season
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. face — to point toward
  24. court — of a king

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