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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. track — a song
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. wax — to grow
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. face — to point toward
  9. face — part of the head
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. clip — a video
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. shower — to wash
  15. track — to keep track
  16. track — a path
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. face — to confront
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. clip — for paper
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. shower — rain

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