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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. clip — a video
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. wax — to grow
  6. pass — a permit
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. stem — to come from
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — a stick
  15. staff — employees
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. clip — to cut
  20. clip — for paper
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. foot — a measure

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