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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. kid — child
  4. wax — to grow
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. plane — a tool
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. clip — to cut
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. club — a group
  13. kid — to tease
  14. bass — the fish
  15. clip — for paper
  16. bass — low music
  17. club — for dancing
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. can — to be able to
  21. clip — a video
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. club — for golf
  24. can — a tin

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