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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: mine · craft · wound · plane · pitch · clip · bowl · dip

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. pitch — completely
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. mine — for digging
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. craft — a skill
  15. dip — to sink
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — an injury
  19. clip — a video
  20. plane — a tool
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. craft — boats
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. clip — for paper

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