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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. clip — a video
  4. bound — certain
  5. bound — tied together
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. clip — for paper
  11. can — a tin
  12. can — a tin
  13. clip — to cut
  14. wax — to grow
  15. bound — obliged
  16. pit — in a race
  17. bass — low music
  18. pit — a hole

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