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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: plane · pound · face · clip · sharp · last · calf · snap

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. last — final
  6. face — to point toward
  7. last — to go on
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. face — part of the head
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. clip — to cut
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. face — to confront
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. last — finally
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. snap — to click
  19. clip — for paper
  20. clip — a video
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. sharp — clever
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. pound — a weight

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