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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
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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: last · tear · plane · hide · clip · saw · bulb · rock

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. rock — music
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. last — finally
  6. bulb — for light
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bulb — for light
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — to rip
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. rock — a stone
  14. clip — to cut
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. plane — a tool
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. clip — for paper
  22. last — to go on
  23. clip — a video
  24. hide — to keep secret

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