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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. clip — for paper
  3. cue — a signal
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. cue — a hint
  6. mine — for digging
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. squash — the sport
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. clip — to cut
  12. bear — the animal
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. wax — to grow
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. squash — to crush
  22. bear — the animal
  23. cue — for pool
  24. trunk — of a car

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