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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. club — for dancing
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. clip — to cut
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. fall — the season
  9. season — of the year
  10. season — in sport
  11. clip — for paper
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. saw — the tool
  14. club — a group
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. fall — to drop
  18. wax — to grow
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. club — for golf
  22. fall — to drop
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. saw — the tool

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