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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. roll — a cake
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. wax — to grow
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. mine — for digging
  9. content — the amount
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. clip — to cut
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. roll — a list
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. content — happy
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. clip — a video
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. cabinet — ministers

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