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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. can — a tin
  3. last — final
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. wax — to grow
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. lean — thin
  10. lean — to bend
  11. last — finally
  12. prune — to trim
  13. clip — for paper
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. can — a tin
  17. clip — to cut
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. last — to go on
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. can — to be able to
  24. pitch — completely

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