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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 116 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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. charge — a price
  3. cue — a hint
  4. tear — from crying
  5. branch — a division
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. charge — in control
  9. tear — to rip
  10. dip — to sink
  11. cue — for pool
  12. wax — to grow
  13. clip — a video
  14. clip — for paper
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. charge — electricity
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. cue — a signal
  19. tear — from crying
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. clip — to cut
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. branch — of a tree

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