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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. dip — to sink
  3. wax — to grow
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. staff — a stick
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. can — to be able to
  8. shower — to wash
  9. clip — a video
  10. clip — to cut
  11. mine — for digging
  12. staff — employees
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. board — to get on
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. board — a committee
  19. can — a tin
  20. shower — rain
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. can — a tin
  23. staff — employees
  24. dip — to dunk

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