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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. clip — to cut
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. pit — a hole
  7. clip — for paper
  8. mine — for digging
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. pit — in a race
  11. mate — a partner
  12. face — to confront
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. root — the cause
  15. wax — to grow
  16. mate — to breed
  17. root — of a plant
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. root — of a word
  20. mate — a friend
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. face — to point toward
  23. face — part of the head
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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