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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. clip — a video
  3. chip — to eat
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. chip — for betting
  7. present — the time now
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. wax — to grow
  10. craft — a skill
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. present — a gift
  13. clip — to cut
  14. craft — boats
  15. clip — for paper
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. present — there
  18. vault — a safe

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