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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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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: hide · clip · root · pound · plane · land · arm · stick

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. plane — a tool
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. land — ground
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. clip — for paper
  10. root — the cause
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. pound — a weight
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. clip — a video
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. land — a country
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. land — to come down
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. root — of a plant
  23. root — of a word
  24. clip — to cut

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