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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. court — of a king
  4. court — for sport
  5. clip — for paper
  6. object — a thing
  7. clip — a video
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. file — a document
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. object — an aim
  13. court — of law
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. object — to protest
  17. file — a tool
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — for light
  20. clip — to cut
  21. wax — to grow
  22. file — a line of people
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. safe — a strongbox

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