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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 120 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: bound · leaves · clip · pass · swing · drill · plane · land

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. bound — tied together
  3. land — ground
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. drill — the tool
  6. clip — for paper
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. land — a country
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. drill — army training
  11. bound — obliged
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. clip — to cut
  15. drill — a practice
  16. swing — to play on
  17. plane — a tool
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. land — to come down
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. pass — a permit
  22. swing — in golf
  23. bound — certain
  24. swing — music

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