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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. clip — to cut
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. club — for golf
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. club — for dancing
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. degree — from a university
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. clip — for paper
  13. degree — an amount
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. degree — temperature
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. chip — to eat
  19. chip — for betting
  20. date — the fruit
  21. wax — to grow
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. clip — a video
  24. club — a group

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