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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  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. cell — in biology
  2. clip — a video
  3. clip — for paper
  4. clip — to cut
  5. net — after costs
  6. net — in sport
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. wax — to grow
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. swing — to play on
  11. net — for catching
  12. pop — to visit
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. stem — to come from
  16. swing — in golf
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. cell — a phone
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. swing — music
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. pop — music
  23. pop — soda
  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