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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. clip — to cut
  3. wax — to grow
  4. object — an aim
  5. field — for sport
  6. field — farmland
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. key — for a lock
  9. tear — from crying
  10. key — in music
  11. object — a thing
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. lean — thin
  14. field — a subject
  15. tear — from crying
  16. craft — boats
  17. object — to protest
  18. lean — to bend
  19. tear — to rip
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. craft — a skill
  22. clip — for paper
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. key — the most important part

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