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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: content · bowl · scale · trunk · clip · plane · kick · stem

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. plane — a tool
  5. scale — in music
  6. clip — a video
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. content — happy
  10. kick — in football
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. scale — size or range
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. stem — to come from
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. content — the amount
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. clip — to cut

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