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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: clip · safe · band · wind · plane · kick · present · cell

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. wind — moving air
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. present — a gift
  6. cell — in biology
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. band — a music group
  10. clip — for paper
  11. kick — in football
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. wind — moving air
  14. present — the time now
  15. present — there
  16. clip — to cut
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. plane — a tool
  21. cell — a phone
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. band — a ring

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