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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.

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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 · bat · present · pop · leaves · clip · temple · cap

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. cap — of ice
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. present — there
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. bat — the animal
  7. present — a gift
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. pop — soda
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. pop — to visit
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. plane — a tool
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. clip — for paper
  18. pop — music
  19. clip — to cut
  20. cap — a lid
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. clip — a video
  23. present — the time now
  24. cap — a hat

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