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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 120 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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. rule — a law
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. rule — government
  5. clip — to cut
  6. mug — to rob
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. wax — to grow
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. clip — for paper
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. ball — a dance
  14. ball — a great time
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. clip — a video
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. mug — a face
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. mug — a cup
  23. nail — on a finger
  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