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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. lean — thin
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. rock — music
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. sharp — clever
  11. clip — a video
  12. lean — to bend
  13. clip — to cut
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. wax — to grow
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. rock — a stone
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. nail — for a hammer

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