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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. clip — to cut
  3. clip — a video
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. march — music
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. bass — the fish
  8. clip — for paper
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. track — a song
  11. bass — low music
  12. wax — to grow
  13. track — a path
  14. march — the month
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. march — the month
  18. bear — the animal
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. bear — the animal
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. track — to keep track

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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