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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. bear — the animal
  3. wax — to grow
  4. land — a country
  5. land — ground
  6. clip — to cut
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. press — to push
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. season — in sport
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. rock — music
  14. clip — a video
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. press — a publisher
  17. press — newspapers
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. bear — the animal
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. season — of the year
  22. rock — a stone
  23. land — to come down
  24. nail — for a hammer

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