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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. shower — to wash
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. clip — to cut
  6. wax — to grow
  7. firm — decided
  8. suit — in cards
  9. rock — music
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. suit — to fit
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. firm — steady
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — the animal
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. shower — rain
  20. rock — a stone
  21. suit — clothes
  22. firm — a company
  23. clip — a video
  24. rock — to move gently

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