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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. foot — a measure
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. spell — magic
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. rule — a law
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. rule — government
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. wax — to grow
  14. fork — in a road
  15. date — the fruit
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. rock — music
  18. rock — a stone
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. clip — a video
  22. clip — for paper
  23. spell — a short time
  24. spell — letters

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