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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 · lean · hand · dip · spring · craft · plane · pit

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. dip — to sink
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. pit — in a race
  5. craft — boats
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. hand — in cards
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. craft — a skill
  11. clip — for paper
  12. spring — of water
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. lean — to bend
  15. plane — a tool
  16. spring — the season
  17. hand — help
  18. spring — a coil
  19. clip — to cut
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. clip — a video
  24. lean — thin

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