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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. spring — the season
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. lean — to bend
  5. lean — thin
  6. rush — hurry
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. clip — a video
  10. clip — to cut
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spell — a short time
  13. spell — magic
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. wax — to grow
  16. spell — letters
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. ball — a great time
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. ball — a dance
  21. spring — of water
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. wax — for sculpting

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