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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. bound — tied together
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bound — certain
  7. clip — for paper
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. clip — to cut
  10. stand — to bear
  11. clip — a video
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. wax — to grow
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. fall — the season
  20. bass — low music
  21. fall — to drop
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. mate — a partner
  24. mate — a friend

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