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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: mark · spring · kick · rule · season · staff · plane · clip

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. spring — the season
  3. season — in sport
  4. clip — a video
  5. plane — a tool
  6. rule — government
  7. clip — for paper
  8. kick — in football
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. staff — employees
  12. season — of the year
  13. staff — a stick
  14. mark — a grade
  15. clip — to cut
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. spring — a coil
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. mark — a trace
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. rule — a law
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. spring — of water

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