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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. pass — a permit
  3. clip — for paper
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. clip — a video
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. wax — to grow
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. craft — boats
  13. clip — to cut
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. stem — to come from
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. craft — a skill
  21. kid — to tease
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. lie — to recline
  24. pass — to spend time

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