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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 116 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: cold · plane · wave · march · safe · perch · track · clip

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. clip — a video
  3. plane — a tool
  4. track — a path
  5. track — to keep track
  6. clip — for paper
  7. march — the month
  8. track — a song
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. perch — the fish
  11. clip — to cut
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. cold — not warm
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. cold — an illness
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. march — music
  24. march — the month

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