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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.

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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. wax — to grow
  3. clip — for paper
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. rule — a law
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. kick — in football
  11. bank — for money
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. bank — of a river
  14. season — of the year
  15. bank — for money
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. clip — a video
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. clip — to cut
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. season — in sport
  24. rule — government

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