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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. swing — to play on
  3. craft — boats
  4. clip — a video
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. track — a song
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. clip — to cut
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. mug — a cup
  12. clip — for paper
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. craft — a skill
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. swing — music
  18. cap — a lid
  19. track — a path
  20. cap — a hat
  21. swing — in golf
  22. track — to keep track
  23. mug — to rob
  24. mug — a face

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