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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. bass — low music
  5. clip — a video
  6. spell — letters
  7. tear — from crying
  8. spell — a short time
  9. clip — for paper
  10. wax — to grow
  11. tear — to rip
  12. spell — magic
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. clip — to cut
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. cue — for pool
  18. tear — from crying
  19. cue — a signal
  20. bass — the fish
  21. cue — a hint
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. wax — for sculpting

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