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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 · clip · last · lie · wake · kid · key · stock

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. clip — to cut
  3. wake — a trail
  4. stock — goods
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. plane — a tool
  8. last — to go on
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. kid — child
  11. stock — shares
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. key — in music
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. key — for a lock
  16. last — finally
  17. kid — to tease
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. lie — to recline
  21. key — the most important part
  22. clip — for paper
  23. clip — a video
  24. stock — a soup base

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