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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. clip — to cut
  3. current — electric
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. firm — decided
  6. current — happening now
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. clip — for paper
  10. bore — to tire
  11. wax — to grow
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. firm — a company
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. firm — steady
  17. mark — a grade
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. current — of water
  22. bore — to drill
  23. mark — a trace
  24. clip — a video

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