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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. clip — a video
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. track — a song
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. track — a path
  7. clip — to cut
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. track — to keep track
  13. saw — the tool
  14. root — the cause
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. toast — bread
  17. root — of a plant
  18. wax — to grow
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. clip — for paper
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. root — of a word

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