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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. swing — to play on
  5. bound — obliged
  6. ball — a great time
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. swing — in golf
  9. fork — in a road
  10. season — in sport
  11. bound — certain
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. firm — steady
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. wax — to grow
  16. clip — a video
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. clip — to cut
  19. firm — decided
  20. clip — for paper
  21. bound — tied together
  22. swing — music
  23. season — of the year
  24. ball — a dance

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