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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. clip — a video
  3. bound — tied together
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. march — the month
  10. bound — certain
  11. bound — obliged
  12. wax — to grow
  13. bank — for money
  14. bank — of a river
  15. clip — for paper
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. march — music
  18. bank — for money
  19. march — the month
  20. degree — an amount
  21. degree — temperature
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. degree — from a university
  24. clip — to cut

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