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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. rash — hasty
  5. wax — to grow
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. rash — a series
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. cap — a hat
  10. cap — of ice
  11. clip — a video
  12. clip — for paper
  13. hand — help
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. hand — in cards
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. date — the fruit
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. cap — a lid
  24. date — on the calendar

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