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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. game — a match
  3. clip — a video
  4. dip — to sink
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. snap — to click
  11. wax — to grow
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. game — wild animals
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. clip — to cut
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. clip — for paper

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