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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. wax — to grow
  3. charge — a price
  4. charge — in control
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. clip — to cut
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. clip — for paper
  11. charge — electricity
  12. foot — a measure
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. track — to keep track
  20. track — a path
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. deal — to handle
  24. clip — a video

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