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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. wax — to grow
  8. clip — for paper
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. lean — to bend
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. clip — to cut
  16. lean — thin
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. wake — a trail

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