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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. present — a gift
  4. lean — thin
  5. clip — to cut
  6. rule — government
  7. lean — to bend
  8. clip — a video
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. track — a song
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. track — to keep track
  14. track — a path
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. bore — to drill
  17. rule — a law
  18. present — the time now
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. wax — to grow
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. bore — to tire
  23. present — there
  24. calf — a young animal

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