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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: clip · wax · snap · plane · nail · leaves · rash · hide

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. clip — to cut
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. rash — hasty
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. rash — a series
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. clip — for paper
  19. clip — a video
  20. snap — to click
  21. plane — a tool
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. wax — for sculpting

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