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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. cap — a hat
  3. current — electric
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. branch — a division
  6. wound — an injury
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. craft — a skill
  9. current — of water
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. current — happening now
  12. clip — to cut
  13. wound — an injury
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. cap — a lid
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. wax — to grow
  22. craft — boats
  23. cap — of ice
  24. clip — for paper

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