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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 116 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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. cell — a phone
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. rule — government
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. deal — to handle
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. rush — hurry
  13. rule — a law
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. clip — to cut
  16. clip — a video
  17. clip — for paper
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. wax — to grow
  20. perch — the fish
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. cell — in biology

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