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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.

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: plane · season · fan · clip · press · wound · cap · kid

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  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. clip — to cut
  2. season — of the year
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. press — newspapers
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. kid — child
  7. cap — a lid
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. wound — an injury
  10. press — a publisher
  11. plane — a tool
  12. kid — to tease
  13. press — to push
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. season — in sport
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. wound — an injury
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. cap — a hat
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. clip — for paper
  23. cap — of ice
  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