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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. pop — music
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. pop — to visit
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. rock — music
  11. rash — a series
  12. chip — to eat
  13. rock — a stone
  14. chip — for betting
  15. bear — the animal
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. clip — a video
  18. clip — to cut
  19. pop — soda
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. rash — hasty
  22. wax — to grow
  23. clip — for paper
  24. wave — of the sea

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