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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. mate — a partner
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. mate — to breed
  7. present — a gift
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. root — of a word
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. root — of a plant
  12. fine — all right
  13. present — there
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. root — the cause
  17. clip — to cut
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. clip — for paper
  21. present — the time now
  22. fine — high quality
  23. mate — a friend
  24. leaves — of a tree

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