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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: clip · plane · fan · mark · charge · season · foot · can

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. can — to be able to
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. season — in sport
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. charge — in control
  10. charge — a price
  11. charge — electricity
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. mark — a trace
  14. plane — a tool
  15. clip — for paper
  16. foot — a measure
  17. can — a tin
  18. mark — a grade
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. season — of the year
  21. clip — a video
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. can — a tin
  24. season — to add flavour

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