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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.

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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: date · pound · rule · clip · wound · plane · craft · net

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. clip — to cut
  3. net — after costs
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. pound — a weight
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. craft — a skill
  9. net — in sport
  10. date — the fruit
  11. clip — a video
  12. rule — government
  13. clip — for paper
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. wound — an injury
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. rule — a law
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. plane — a tool
  23. craft — boats
  24. net — for catching

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