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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. wax — to grow
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. prune — to trim
  12. bound — obliged
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. wind — moving air
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. prune — to trim
  17. clip — for paper
  18. wind — moving air
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. date — the fruit
  22. clip — a video
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bound — certain

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