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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.

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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. bound — certain
  3. clip — for paper
  4. stem — to come from
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. clip — to cut
  11. pitch — completely
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. bound — tied together
  15. board — a committee
  16. bound — obliged
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. board — to get on
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. lie — to recline
  23. clip — a video
  24. wax — to grow

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