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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 124 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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. kid — to tease
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. clip — a video
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. wax — to grow
  7. bass — the fish
  8. clip — to cut
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. tube — a container
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. kid — child
  19. clip — for paper
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. tube — the underground
  24. bass — low music

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