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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: bulb · clip · plane · race · squash · kick · bound · face

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. bound — certain
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. bound — tied together
  5. clip — to cut
  6. face — part of the head
  7. bulb — for light
  8. squash — the sport
  9. face — to confront
  10. plane — a tool
  11. race — a contest
  12. face — to point toward
  13. race — the arms race
  14. bound — obliged
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. race — humankind
  18. clip — for paper
  19. bulb — for light
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. kick — in football
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. clip — a video

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