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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. file — a line of people
  4. clip — to cut
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. clip — a video
  7. clip — for paper
  8. file — a document
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. pit — in a race
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. wind — moving air
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. board — a committee
  15. wax — to grow
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. board — to get on
  18. pit — a hole
  19. wind — moving air
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. chip — to eat
  22. chip — for betting
  23. file — a tool
  24. hide — to keep secret

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