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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. track — a song
  3. bulb — for light
  4. perch — the fish
  5. bulb — for light
  6. wax — to grow
  7. field — for sport
  8. suit — to fit
  9. drill — the tool
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. clip — a video
  12. drill — army training
  13. field — a subject
  14. suit — clothes
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. clip — for paper
  17. field — farmland
  18. track — a path
  19. track — to keep track
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. suit — in cards
  23. drill — a practice
  24. wax — in the ear

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