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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: mate · club · last · plane · clip · track · bulb · row

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. row — a line
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. last — finally
  5. clip — for paper
  6. mate — to breed
  7. row — to paddle
  8. track — a song
  9. mate — a partner
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. bulb — for light
  12. club — a group
  13. mate — a friend
  14. club — for dancing
  15. last — to go on
  16. bulb — for light
  17. track — to keep track
  18. clip — a video
  19. track — a path
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. club — for golf
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. clip — to cut
  24. last — final

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