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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.

Make a worksheet

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: plane · roll · clip · mine · court · bore · chest · lash

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. clip — a video
  3. clip — to cut
  4. bore — to tire
  5. court — for sport
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. mine — for digging
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. clip — for paper
  11. chest — a box
  12. roll — a list
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. plane — a tool
  15. chest — of your body
  16. roll — a cake
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. court — of a king
  20. court — of law
  21. bore — to drill
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. chest — of your body
  24. mine — belonging to me

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