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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. clip — for paper
  4. wound — an injury
  5. charge — in control
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. press — a publisher
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. firm — a company
  11. bound — tied together
  12. clip — a video
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. firm — steady
  15. bound — certain
  16. wax — to grow
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — for light
  19. wound — an injury
  20. firm — decided
  21. charge — electricity
  22. press — newspapers
  23. charge — a price
  24. press — to push

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