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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. clip — for paper
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. mark — a grade
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. pop — soda
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. mark — a trace
  11. pop — music
  12. wax — to grow
  13. board — a committee
  14. craft — boats
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. clip — a video
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. craft — a skill
  19. clip — to cut
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. fork — in a road
  23. board — to get on
  24. pitcher — a jug

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