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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 120 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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. clip — for paper
  4. fine — all right
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. bound — obliged
  8. wax — to grow
  9. fine — high quality
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. present — the time now
  12. bound — certain
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. clip — a video
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. present — there
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. clip — to cut
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. bound — tied together

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