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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: present · clip · march · safe · nail · land · pop · plane

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. pop — music
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. land — a country
  5. land — ground
  6. land — to come down
  7. march — the month
  8. march — music
  9. clip — for paper
  10. pop — to visit
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. plane — a tool
  16. present — there
  17. present — a gift
  18. pop — soda
  19. clip — to cut
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. present — the time now
  24. march — the month

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