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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.

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: plane · face · wave · mouse · bear · hand · wake · clip

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. face — to confront
  5. clip — to cut
  6. bear — the animal
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. bear — the animal
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. face — to point toward
  13. hand — in cards
  14. face — part of the head
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. hand — help
  17. plane — a tool
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. wake — a trail
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. clip — a video
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. bear — to put up with

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