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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. fine — high quality
  3. track — to keep track
  4. fall — the season
  5. clip — for paper
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. mine — for digging
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. clip — to cut
  10. net — for catching
  11. net — in sport
  12. clip — a video
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. fine — all right
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. fall — to drop
  18. track — a song
  19. fall — to drop
  20. track — a path
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — to grow
  23. rock — music
  24. net — after costs

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