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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 120 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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. bear — the animal
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. spell — letters
  6. wax — to grow
  7. spell — magic
  8. pit — a hole
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. clip — for paper
  11. scale — in music
  12. pit — in a race
  13. mate — a partner
  14. charge — a price
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. charge — electricity
  18. bear — the animal
  19. scale — size or range
  20. charge — in control
  21. mate — to breed
  22. spell — a short time
  23. clip — a video
  24. mate — a friend

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